Desert Blossom
by katlou303
Summary: It's been four years since Sakura started living in Suna and her time with Gaara is running out. Sakura begins to struggle with her feelings for her best friend - the Kazekage. This sequel has arranged marriages, babies and drama. GaaSaku.
1. Storm Blossoms

An unusually strong sandstorm was plaguing Suna that night, windows were boarded up, the villagers were hiding in their houses, grimly listening to the eerie howling of the wind. The Kazekage Compound stood solitary in the middle of Suna, withstanding the pounding wind and sand.

Haruno Sakura hurried down the corridor of the compound. Sand struck the window as she passed. She stopped to stare out at the storm. It was brutal, sheer power raging outside the protective walls of the compound. Her arm prickled from the memory of Gaara's own sand attacks she had endured in her life.

The nursery was the temporary home of Shikamaru and Temari's second child, Shika, a little six month old girl. Sakura, as an honorary aunt, had discovered she had a fierce protective side when it came to her friend's babies. On occasion, like tonight, she would creep down to the nursery to reassure herself that the baby was fine. The storm had set her nerves on edge, the wind howling like a lost child just outside her window, the walls trembling under the storm's weight.

She opened the door and turned on the light.

There was a woman bent over Shika's crib. Sakura's hand was on her kunai before she could even register the stranger's presence.

She had dark hair cut very short and looked to be a few years older than Sakura. Her brown eyes widened in alarm. "I'm Kanae! Shikamaru-san hired me to look after his children whilst he and his wife are on missions."

"Don't kill the nanny just yet, Sakura." Kankuro drawled, "It's OK, I met her yesterday, she's genuine." He strolled into the room, squinting in the bright light.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Little Shika was too adorable for words, and if anything had happened to her...

"Kankuro-san." Kanae gave a little bow at the sight of the Kazekage's brother.

Sakura noted Kankuro's unease at such formal treatment, "You aren't from Suna, are you?" She inquired. Figures of respect like Gaara were treated reverently, but normally the people of Suna were not as formal as those from Sakura's own village, disliking suffixes and bowing.

Kanae flushed, "No, Haruno-sama. I'm from a small village of little consequence. Shikamaru-san hired me when he saw how I cared for a few of his friends' children, the Inuzukas. I was just trying to settle Shika down for the night, the storm had made her restless."

Hmm. Shika looked happy enough, gurgling and laughing as she tried to grab Kanae's hair. And what was that about her village? Sakura felt oddly paranoid for a moment. It was probably just the protective aunt side of her panicking over nothing.

"Did you come to check on her too? When I have kids I swear I'll sit by their cribs day and night, clutching a kunai and glaring at anyone who comes near them." Kankuro laughed.

"It was nice meeting you both," Kanae said, with an awkward smile, "But the baby is settled, and I would like to rest." She indicated a mess of blankets and pillows on the window seat.

"You sleep in the nursery?" Kankuro said incredulously, "Didn't you get your own room?"

Kanae looked embarrassed, "Yes, but I like to be close to my charges at all times. If she wakes up, I'll be here for her straightaway."

Kankuro muttered something that might have been, "Fucking crazy nanny."

Sakura tried not to laugh, "Well, I should get back to bed." She peered at the baby again.

Shika had her father's dark hair and her mother's dark green eyes. She laughed in delight at the sight of Sakura, who tickled her and cooed over her for a moment or two.

She regretfully left, Kankuro at her heels. As she closed the door, she glimpsed a tired-looking Kanae crawling into her nest of blankets, and felt a stab of sympathy for her.

She knew what it was like to be so dedicated to your job it became unhealthy.

xxxxxxxx

The shinobi squad leader dropped down silently on to the roof, making a series of hand gestures to indicate the rest of the squad should follow. His belt was heavier than usual, poisons and weapons weighing it down. A few of the squad members, unused to the harsh sandstorms of Suna, tried to protect their eyes from the sharp-edged wind.

The window was loose. The squad leader gave it a gentle push. It had previously been tested to ensure it wouldn't squeak and give them away. He slid into the room noiselessly.

A woman lay in her bed, alone, hair splayed across the pillow. The squad were careful in their movements. This woman was a professional. But so were they.

The leader waited for the signal, a cawing crow.

The squad sprang into action at the sound of the bird call. Poisons were removed from belts, kunai in hand as they approached the bed cautiously.

Their orders were clear. Take care of the targets. Make it quick and clean. Take out the main players, let the village panic, then let the chaos reign.

The leader's kunai had especially picked out for this job, coated with a special poison with no known antidote. A mere scratch would kill.

He bent down over the sleeping woman, eyes on the jugular.

He was surprised when the woman's eyes flew open, narrowed and green, and his windpipe was crushed by her fist. He fell to the ground, dead.

Haruno Sakura attacked.

These men were trained especially to fight her, she noted. But they had been expecting a sleeping woman, an easy kill. She was angry and very much awake.

The assassins wore nondescript dark blue uniforms, masks concealing their faces. They had come prepared; they each unsheathed large swords and pointed them at her.

"Ooh," She said cheerfully, "My speciality."

She held her own sword aloft. She had trained extensively with Kaede's blade, to the point where she felt incomplete in a fight without its comforting weight in her hand.

The sword's point swished in a complicated pattern, Sakura traced the air with the blade, showing off her talent. A few of the assassins backed off slightly.

Sakura was pushed back as three of them rushed at her, sword clashing against the enemy blade. She ducked a blow and sliced through one of the men's stomach, throwing him against another. The dying man dragged a few others down with him, and Sakura began to circle, herding the last few stragglers into a corner.

When one attacked, she kicked her wardrobe at him, partly to distract him and partly to make some noise. It connected with a bang, knocking him backwards.

She was very much aware that she was fighting for her life in a nightgown.

As she fought, she tried hard not to worry about the others.

The would-be assassins were cautious now, hanging back.

She grinned and flew at them.

xxxxxxxx

Gaara had been attacked in his own bed, during some precious rare hours of sleep. He was not happy.

They'd had a water specialist ninja soak his sand, not realising they had made a rather deadly, thicker version of muddy sand. He had buried them within seconds. Despite the ease in which he fought them, he still recognised that they were all highly trained, ruthless killers.

Sakura.

Gaara rubbed at a red stain on his shirt absently and left the room, leaving the fallen assassins stuck in his sand-mud.

What if they had gone to her room first? Gaara felt a surge of fear for her. If they had touched her... If she was hurt in any way...

Kankuro stumbled out of his bedroom, a cut on his cheek. His collar was soaked in blood, "Gaara, you too?" He gasped for breath. His clothes were ripped and Karasu loomed behind him, stumbling drunkenly from frayed chakra strings, "They had chakra-coated kunai, tried to cut through the chakra strings... Gaara, they got away from me, they flew out of the window..."

"To escape?" Gaara wondered aloud, "Or to regroup?"

"If they attacked us, then -"

"-Sakura could be in danger too."

They took off at a run, heading towards the Kazekage's bodyguard's private rooms. Kankuro got there first and yanked open the door.

It was a massacre. Men wearing the same dark blue uniform as the others lay dead in piles on Sakura's carpet, ruining the good rug. Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

Gaara's brow tightened in worry as his pale eyes swept over the room, "Not here." He said shortly.

"Well then -" Kankuro was cut off by a feminine shriek further down the hall.

Gaara was faster than his older brother for once, panic fuelling his speed.

The nursery door was slightly ajar, the sounds of a panicked woman could be heard from inside.

A dark haired woman cowered inside the room, arms placed protectively over Shika's cot. A man loomed over them.

Sakura punched the assassin in the face, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening thud.

She checked the man's pulse and shook her head, cleaning her blade as she bent down next to the dark haired woman.

"Sakura?" Gaara said, feeling relief swell inside him, "We thought..."

"I didn't capture any alive," Sakura said regretfully, "Didn't get the chance."

There was a moment of silence whilst the Kazekage stared, face drained of colour, blood still staining his shirt. Then Gaara exhaled sharply, "Neither did I. They were trained. They came after me, my bodyguard and my brother..." He broke off, staring at Shika through the wooden slats of the cot.

"She's fine," Sakura said hastily as he lurched forwards in alarm, "Kanae protected her."

Kanae was wild-eyed, she had a gash on her forearm where she had blocked a blow intended for the baby, "I couldn't let them..." She said, struggling for breath, "Kill her. I just couldn't." She was trembling all over.

Sakura patted her on the shoulder, "She's safe. You did a good job."

"I'll say," Kankuro agreed, propping Karasu up with his shoulder.

"Even my sister's child," Gaara frowned deeply, "Temari and Shikamaru might be targets. They intended to be thorough, killing not just the Kazekage but his staff and family too."

"Like a purge." Sakura met Gaara's gaze, looking solemn.

"And some of the bastards escaped." Kankuro cursed.

Shika began to wail, her little red face screwed up, her cries competing with the howling wind outside.

"Akira!" Sakura suddenly gasped.

They all stared at each other.

"He was supposed to be in my room tonight." Gaara said slowly.

Kanae coughed and pulled back one of her blankets, revealing a sleeping boy of around three years old, blonde hair sweetly tousled from sleep.

"He came to visit his sister," Kanae said apologetically, "I tried to send him back to his room, but he refused."

"Thank God," Sakura said, pale, "What if they'd gotten to him first?"

Akira was the eldest child of Shikamaru and Temari. He, like his sister, looked exactly like Temari. Shikamaru tried to hide it, but it was obvious that he was proud of the boy's intelligence. Even at three years old, he was capable of holding lengthy discussions with adults, and enjoyed playing with Shikamaru's puzzles for fun. He was at a stage where he refused to sleep alone. Gaara often allowed the boy to share his room.

Kanae gently tucked the blankets around Akira.

"And, I'm sorry Gaara..." Sakura said, eyes on the floor, "I'm your bodyguard, I should have been defending you tonight."

"You are my bodyguard, true," Gaara nodded, "But I want you to keep yourself and the others alive too, not just me."

Gaara bent down and scooped up Akira, wrapped in the blankets like a cocoon. Seeing the Kazekage, previous host of a powerful, bloodthirsty demon, gaze at a sleeping infant tenderly was still a new experience for Sakura.

"I'll take him back to my room for tonight. I'll get the hunter-nin to track down the escaped assassins," Gaara hefted the three year old's weight with a grimace and turned to leave, "And Sakura? I want to talk to you in ten minutes."

Sakura groaned.

"OK, I admit that sounded ominous." Kankuro gave her a look of abject sympathy, "Good luck with that."

He bent down and helped Kanae out of her nest of blankets, "And you are going to sleep in a bed tonight, whether you like it or not. Shika will be fine with Anbu guarding her door."

Kanae looked oddly flustered, cheeks red as Kankuro released her hand, "I - I suppose so." She complied.

Sakura gently shut the nursery door behind her, the sound of Kankuro's laughter and Kanae's mumbles audible even through the thick wood.

xxxxxxxx

The sun had begun to rise, and from where Gaara was standing on his balcony, a halo of sunlight surrounded him.

Sakura paused to smile at the image.

"Sakura." Gaara said without turning, "We need to talk."

"OK," She smiled, "So talk."

"You leave Suna in a year." Gaara said directly.

"I know."

Sakura's skin had finally given in and had become tanned from constant exposure to the harsh sun. Her hair was the same length it had been since she was twelve. At twenty years old, she had found that she had grown into her body, her new elegant limbs contrasting with her clumsy teenage coordination. She was muscled, her taijutsu had finally caught up with the rest of her skills. Kaede's sword was now her own, she no longer waved it about uselessly, she knew exactly how to use it as an extension of herself. Hiroshi's mask still rested at her hip, the paint cracked and yellowed from age.

Her job as Senior Nurse was perfect. Sakura no Chiyu was legendary. In short, Haruno Sakura was no longer the only useless member of Team 7.

Sasuke had not only not been executed, he had been allowed to return to being a shinobi, for Konoha. There had been massive disapproval from the public at first, but Tsunade had relentlessly campaigned for his case, pointing out that he and Kakashi together had only two Sharingan left and killing Sasuke would make it one. The village had proven its need for strong shinobi over the years, with other Hidden Villages growing stronger steadily.

Naruto was still technically in hiding, though he could walk freely in Konoha, he always travelled elsewhere under heavy genjutsu. He was acting as a sort of Shadow Hokage, not giving any orders but offering his opinion on very important matters. His letters to Sakura had become increasingly focused on Hinata, in Sakura's absense the girl had become his second best friend.

His first, of course, was Sasuke. Team 7's relationship was still rocky. Naruto told Sakura that Sasuke had said Naruto had gotten more childish and annoying over time, Kakashi hadn't changed at all and Sakura was transformed beyond recognition, in his opinion. Sasuke wrote the odd letter to Sakura, the tone always civil and they were always as short as necessary.

Sakura had received a fair amount of male attention over the years, various chuunin and jounin had asked her out. It soon became clear to the village that the Kazekage's bodyguard shunned romantic entanglements religiously, though the real reason was never guessed at.

Sakura and Gaara never told anyone what had happened between them, that Gaara had confessed to her and had been rejected, or that Sakura had asked him to wait and see if she could ever return his feelings. Temari had asked, of course, but Sakura only ever shook her head in reply and refused to answer. Over the years, Sakura felt her feelings of friendship for Gaara intensify, he was her very best friend, beating out both Naruto and Ino for the position.

Tsunade frequently sent many of the Rookie Nine over to Suna on missions, not a month went by when Sakura did not see a familiar face. Suna and Konoha's alliance had strengthened beyond all hope, Suna's association with the more affluent village had improved its economy and Konoha had gained a fierce ally.

Sakura had been made a medical specialist jounin, her position as Senior Nurse had greatly increased her reputation in her field, as had her now famous Nerve Surgery Technique.

"I have a proposition for you," Gaara said, eyes gazing at her steadily, "I would like to assign you as a jounin sensei for three genin. No other jounin will work with them. I would like them to be given a second chance. I know you could help them."

Sakura's mouth dropped open, "But I'm only here for another year!" She cried, not noticing Gaara's flinch at the mention of how little time she had left in Suna, "You can't have a someone teach a genin team for a year and then leave them!"

"No other jounin will work with them," Gaara repeated, "I only want you to increase their chances of being accepted by another sensei in a year. They have been reported to be untrustworthy, difficult and unskilled for the most part. If you do not help them, they will stay untrained genin for the rest of their lives."

Sakura grimaced. Being forced to be so low-ranked... How difficult could a genin team be? She understood why Gaara hadn't simply forced them onto another jounin - how could they work together if they were forced together?

"They must be something special if you've taken an interest in them, Gaara." Sakura said shrewdly.

"I put them together for a reason. They all reminded me of someone. I wanted to give them a chance."

The sun climbed steadily in the sky, spreading golden light over the desert. Sakura gazed out at the village, doors were being opened, sleepy-eyed villagers peering out. The storm had died out by then. She could see people sweeping sand out of their houses, shutters being eased open, children cheerfully playing in the streets.

She rested an elbow on the sun-warmed stone balcony, moving closer to Gaara.

"OK," She said, "I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Sakura." Gaara said sincerely. The space between them was minimal, Sakura could feel his body emanating heat, feel his breath on her face. His eyes were stubbornly fixed on her eyes, though they had dropped to her mouth once and he had wavered.

"You have a year left in Suna," Gaara said again, "I want you to be able to go back and feel as though the last five years weren't a waste."

"I already know that!" Sakura grinned. The scars on her arm had faded slightly but their lessons had remained. She was not the same timid, nightmare-stricken sixteen year old that had crept into the Kazekage's office, she was no longer haunted by her past.

"Temari and Shikamaru are due back from their mission today," Gaara said quietly, "If they do not return by then, we will have to search for them," He met her eyes, "I'm afraid of what we might find."

Sakura thought of the little blonde boy being told his parents were never returning, of Kanae sitting quietly in the nursery with Shika in her arms, the baby never knowing her parents.

"If that ever happened," Sakura replied, "They would be heroes, and their children would be raised by two very loving uncles." Her words were matter of fact, but her eyes showed her hidden fear, revealing how worried she was about Shikamaru and Temari.

The heavy bags under Gaara's eyes and his tightened mouth showed her, in turn, how worried he was too.

"Now then," Sakura changed the subject, "About this new babysitter, Kanae..."

"She is very dedicated," Gaara nodded, turning to look out at Suna, "I didn't think about making her the children's official bodyguard, but after seeing her defend Shika, I was wondering..."

"No!" Sakura protested, "She's a civilian with no combat training, she never expected to have to save the baby's life on her first day! If we keep the Anbu guarding the nursery, that should be enough for now."

"Fine," Gaara grumbled. Then he frowned and turned back to face Sakura, "Kankuro acts oddly around her."

"Does he? I hadn't noticed." Sakura lied, holding back a grin.

"Yes he does. He acts like a fool."

"Probably just admiring her dedication." Sakura said solemnly.

Gaara appeared to muse on it for a moment or two, "Possibly." He concluded.

Sakura bit back a laugh. It was entirely possible Kankuro was just suspicious of Kanae, as Sakura was, or that his motivations were truly a little too complex and emotional for Gaara to comprehend. Even after his proclamation of love to Sakura, he acted no differently then before. Sakura expected that if he ever married, the most affection he would show his wife would be a very formal handshake.

"Are you sure we can trust Kanae? She was very vague about where she comes from."

"She's from a village near the border of Konoha, her records are clean, we have absolutely no reason to believe she anything but a highly recommended baby-sitter." Gaara said patiently.

"I just have a bad feeling." Sakura said, still worried about Shikamaru and Temari. Kanae had arrived just before the assassins had. Could that be a coincidence?

Gaara put a clumsy hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently, a parody of comfort. It was more than anyone could have imagined him doing just a few years ago. His hand brushed against her cheek accidently, and suddenly, inexplicably, Sakura's face burned red.

It was going to be a very long and confusing year.

* * *

><p>Hello again, dear readers! I'm back! Have you missed me? XD<p>

Four years on and everything is different. Babies have been born, assassins have done a very poor job and suspicious babysitters have appeared!

In case anyone is confused:

Temari is twenty-three.

Kankuro is twenty-two. As is Kanae.

Shikamaru is twenty.

So is Sakura. And Gaara!

Shikamaru and Temari had two kids, Shika and Akira :)

Desert Scar was basically action, recovery, action, recovery... Desert Blossom is going to be more emotional, I think. I don't know how it will end yet, but I do know a few things :)

The Sakura of Desert Scar had only been in Suna for six months... leaving then would be much easier than now, after she's lived there for four years... The countdown of her time left begins.

I have to thank SakugirlSasuboy for the title suggestion :D Thank you so much!

Sakura is going to be a jounin sensei! And for three, mysterious genin! I just thought it would be interesting, having Sakura try to teach three kids no one else will bother with.

Kanae was certainly not created to give Kankuro a girlfriend but as I wrote her scenes I noticed that there appeared to be _something_ between her and Kankuro, to my surprise. I'm probably wrong :D I despise main characters getting in relationships with OCs, usually, apart from a few notable exceptions - Sadako and Kisame from Butchery & Happiness by JACinthebox, for example.

**Quick poll take: **Should Kankuro become interested in Kanae?

**A)** Yes, give them a try.

**B) **God no, gross!

**C) **No idea XD


	2. Introducing Blossoms

A week had passed by and Temari and Shikamaru had not returned.

Gaara grew more and more anxious by the day, as did Kankuro. Sakura was finding it hard to keep hoping they'd simply return, unharmed.

The training grounds were deserted, Sakura could see three small figures in the distance, standing apart. A genin team.

My genin team, she mentally corrected herself. She still felt amazed that she was expected to teach three children when the memories of her own days as a genin student were still fresh in her mind. Perhaps they were simply memorable.

She could see a girl with very long black hair standing on her own, staring at her feet. A boy with light brown hair and dark eyes was watching Sakura approach them. The last figure was another boy, his back was turned so that all she could gleam from his appearance was that he had pale blonde hair and was oddly muscular for his age.

She finally reached them, giving a smile that none of them returned. "Hi!" She said breezily, "I'm Haruno Sakura."

The three genin stood in silence, not looking at her.

"And your names are?" Sakura prompted.

"Akako." The girl said quietly, her voice croaky.

"I'm Kisho, Sakura-sensei." The boy with light brown hair winked at her.

The third remained silent.

"Are you not going to introduce yourself?" Sakura said lightly, but with a hint of steel in her voice. Gaara had advised her to never show weakness, give an inch and they'd take a mile, he had said darkly.

The boy looked up at her. He was tanned, with large blue eyes almost hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses. There was a vivd bruise on his cheek. He was scowling deeply. Sakura's sharp eyes could pick out the boy's strong muscles under his thin shirt. He must be unusually strong for a twelve year old, she mused.

"Masa." He said reluctantly.

"Good! Now, Masa, Kisho, Akako. You all know why you are here, right?"

"We're here because no one wants us and you got stuck with us." Masa spat.

"Incorrect!" Sakura smiled, "Now, tell me _why you are here._"

The three of them gave each other uneasy glances.

"Akako, you start. Why do you want to be a ninja?" Sakura directed her smile to the girl. Her hair covered her eyes. As her attention became focused on the girl, she became aware of the malevolent chakra rolling from her. Though her face was covered and she looked to be a mere girl of twelve, there was something _eerie_ about her.

"I didn't." She said shortly.

Sakura blinked, caught off guard. "Then, why are you here?"

"What else can I do? Live on the streets?" The girl's voice was croaky and more mature than Sakura would have expected, "There is nothing left for me to do but fight."

The other two looked surprised at her response. Akako continued to stare at her shoes.

Sakura recovered from her surprise quickly, "And you, Kisho?"

Kisho had heavy-looking, drooping eyelids, as though he was constantly nearly asleep. His smile was disarming, "Tried my hand at flower-arranging, didn't like it, so I thought I may as well be a ninja." His tone was light, joking, but his expression was guarded.

Compulsive liar, Sakura noted mentally, her smile widening.

"So, I have one truthful response so far," Sakura said, turning to Masa, "You can lie if you want, like Kisho, or you can tell me the real reason."

"I wanted to be a ninja because I wanted to. It is that simple." He said stiffly.

"OK. Great! Now, everyone, gather around, come on, hurry up." She directed them to stand next to each other in front of her. She took a deep breath. It was time to take a leaf out of Kakashi's book. The genin stared at her, save for Akako. "You fail."

Masa's mouth dropped open, "Already? But - but, what did we do?" He cried indignantly.

Kisho just looked amused.

Akako's head dropped down further.

"You are all genin who have been rejected by every jounin you have been paired with. And yet, all of you have repeatedly requested to be put in a new genin team. None of you has ever given up. But today, when I asked you why you wanted to be a ninja, why you have not given up, you either lied or gave me a vague answer. You all want to be a ninja so badly that repeated rejection has not deterred you. I will ask you again. _Why are you here?_"

Sakura could see the bottom half of Akako's face, her mouth trembled. Kisho's grin slipped. Masa's frown deepened.

None of them spoke.

She sighed. "OK, now I will be honest with you. I'm only going to be here for a year. I won't have much time to help you. I won't be able to help you at all if you don't cooperate with me. I gave you a chance to tell me your reasons. Now, I'll have to tell _you_ why you are here."

"Kisho," She said, meeting the smiling boy's eyes, "Your mother used to be a ninja."

The smile slipped away completely, his mouth twisting into something uglier, "Who told you that?" He demanded.

"Not important. Your mother used to be a ninja before she was injured so badly she could never walk again. You are the sole wage earner of your family. You do every mission to feed your mother. Now, I don't know why you would hide this part of your life from everyone. Perhaps you are too proud. You fight for your family, and I admire that. But your Academy reports are not good. You are below average in every area. You barely graduated. I can help you become a better ninja, Kisho. Being a chuunin would get you a job that would set your mother up for life. Cooperate with me. I only want to help you."

As Sakura spoke, Kisho had begun to tremble in anger.

"Akako," Sakura said gently, "You live alone. You have frustrated every jounin sensei you have ever had, because you refuse to use your kekkei genkai. Without your clan's talent, you are less than average in taijutsu. Why don't you simply use your -"

"No!" Akako yelled furiously, finally looking Sakura in the eye. Sakura had expected there to be something eerie about her eyes, but they were just pale blue and angry, "I won't use it. Why should I? I promised myself I'd never use it."

Sakura got out a kunai and pointed it at Masa's throat, to his credit he almost wriggled out of her grasp, "And what if your ally is in danger? What if you are in danger?"

Akako hesitated.

"That's why. I don't know why you don't want to use it. You don't have to tell me, I don't mind. But you shouldn't impose such restrictions upon yourself. There are chuunin less talented than you who get by in life by using their kekkei genkai, whilst others have to work hard for it. If you cooperated with me, I would teach you how to control your talent, and train you in taijutsu."

Akako's eyes widened.

"Masa -"

"I want to be a ninja," The bespectacled boy said in quiet fury, "To prove myself to my father. And to myself."

"Correct," Sakura said with a wry grin, "Well said, all of you. Kisho, I just revealed your most personal secrets in front of two people you don't know, and you managed to not retaliate, verbally or physically. That took immense self-restraint. Well done. Akako, you overcame your shyness to put me in my place. A ninja cannot be a pushover. Well done. Masa, you were clever enough to realise what I was going to say, and you were not too proud to just let me say it. Well done."

"A genin team is like a family. In time, you will grow close. You will want to protect each other with your lives. The ninja way tells me to instruct you to do otherwise. I will not. Even great ninjas break the rules sometimes. The ninja way is harsh, sometimes I think it is too harsh. The key to being a great team is obvious. Teamwork. Kisho, you hide your true nature and never let anyone see the real you. Masa and Akako will need to trust you with their lives. You need to open up more. Akako, you allow others to dominate you and tell you what to do. I am your leader, but Masa and Kisho are your equals. You need to learn to stand up for yourself more often, as you did today. Masa, never be too proud to ask for help from others. You cannot become strong on your own. The path you are on is a harsh and dangerous one, and will lead to nothing but misery. You need to learn to rely on Akako and Kisho, and to accept help from them."

Akako looked slightly upset. Kisho was trying to smirk and was failing miserably, the result was a sort of contorted grimace. Masa, to Sakura's surprise, was staring at her coolly, not a trace of anger in his face.

"So, your strategy was to upset us, unsettle us by knowing about our private lives and then give a big speech about teamwork and hope we all have a group hug and become the best genin team ever?" Masa said with heavy sarcasm, "Well, it hasn't worked. I don't need anyone to become strong. I can be a great ninja on my own."

"Perhaps you could become strong on your own, I don't know," Sakura said seriously, "But you would never be a great ninja."

Masa stared at her, two red spots of anger rising in his cheeks, "How old are you, anyway? Are you even old enough to be a jounin sensei? How many missions have you done?"

Sakura sighed because she hated doing what she was about to do. It felt as though she was bragging.

"Have you ever heard of Akatsuki?" She asked them. They all nodded, "A few years ago, they wanted to me to join them. When I refused, they tortured me extensively. I was told I would never be able to use my hand again. I was no longer allowed to be a ninja. Like you, I was told again and again that I could not achieve my goals. I healed my hand on my own and Akatsuki haven't come near me since I swore to them I'd rather be tortured over and over again than join them. I could never have done all of this if I hadn't had the support of my friends. I understand wanting to prove your worth without assistance. But Masa, any victory achieved through those means would be hollow, because you would have no one to share it with," She watched their faces go from interested to stunned, "And I'm twenty, by the way." She added quietly.

"_You're_ Sakura no Chiyu?" Kisho spoke up suddenly, eyes incredulous.

Masa's eyes sparked with interest.

"Yep." Sakura said brusquely, "The Kazekage wanted me to teach you all, because he believed in you, and wanted to give you a second chance."

"If," Masa began, faking indifference, "If my teacher was a great ninja, I could become stronger much quicker."

"Possibly." Sakura smiled.

She'd won Masa over, she could tell by the excited gleam of his eyes.

"You were tortured?" Akako asked sadly.

Sakura wordlessly pulled her sleeve up, as she so often did, and showed them her scars.

Masa looked fascinated. Kisho raised his eyebrows as he examined her arm. Akako looked horrified.

"Why didn't you heal the scars?" Kisho asked.

"I wanted to. But what would be the point? I'd look prettier? So? I wear my scars proudly, I'm not ashamed of what I did to protect my village."

Akako's expression was complex, she looked sympathetic and impressed and a little edge of something darker. Her pale blue eyes were very emotive. Sakura got the sense that, while she had gotten a grip on Kisho and Masa's characters, Akako had quietly evaded her. She obviously could not control her chakra, it emanated from her in monstrous waves. The girl had great potential, no wonder the other jounin were so frustrated when she refused to use her kekkei genkai.

"Now, for your first test." Sakura's smile became a little scarier.

"That wasn't a test?" Kisho muttered.

"Attack me," Sakura said sweetly, "The first to get my forehead protecter," she pulled it from around her neck and re-tied onto her forehead, "Wins. Be as creative as possible. Begin."

Akako was the only one left. She looked around wildly and realised the others had flown off to hide, "Oh no." She said, dismayed, and went move backwards.

"Too slow," Sakura taunted, and disappeared.

They never thought to look up when she disappeared. They always looked behind them.

Sakura's leg was high in the air, she was rocketing back to ground at incredible speed right above Akako's head.

Her leg connected with the ground, breaking it instantly into lethal jagged pieces flying everywhere. Just as she was about to hit Akako, Masa flew out of nowhere and pulled her out of the way. Teamwork, Sakura thought triumphantly, good, and now Kisho will attack my back.

She dodged out of the way smoothly. Kisho staggered forwards, his blow connecting only with the air.

And then Akako was in front of her, doing her best with a kunai to distract her whilst Masa tried to sneak up on her.

To teach them a lesson about sending the weakest as a distraction, she pulled Akako to her and put a kunai to her throat. Masa and Kisho stopped abruptly. Sakura remembered what she had said to Akako,_ what if you are in danger?_ She wondered if Akako would remember the lesson and use her kekkei genkai against her.

But Akako merely stiffened in her arms. Damn it, Sakura thought.

"The strongest distracts and the weakest attack," Sakura recited, "The distraction is the one in the most danger. Remember that."

She pushed Akako towards them.

Masa glared at Sakura, moving his fingers slightly -

And Sakura rolled away from a falling tree, having been caught by surprise. The whole thing was a distraction, she seethed to herself, as he sawed at the tree with chakra strings. He really is ridiculously strong for a twelve year old. She rolled her eyes.

Stupid little Sasuke wannabe.

Kisho's hand blurred in front of her face as she rolled away from the felled tree. She felt the sting of a chakra scalpel and was astonished when her forehead protector nearly fell, slightly frayed from the slice of the scalpel.

Kisho can use chakra scalpels? Sakura's eyebrows shot up. That was not in his file.

A little tired of holding back, she kicked Kisho gently in the chest, sending him staggering back a few feet.

Her hands flashed in a series of lightning-fast seals. She paused long enough to wink and say, "Follow me," before she vanished in a puff of smoke.

xxxxxxxx

"I don't play favourites," Sakura said sternly, as her genin team lay panting on the ground, "I'm going to teach you all equally, in different areas. Kisho, medical. Masa, genjutsu. Akako, taijutsu. Then, I'll teach you all everything else." Sakura gave them a confident grin.

Her headband was still on her forehead, Masa was the only one who had gotten close to touching it, apart from Kisho's stunt with the chakra scalpel.

The one thing she had dislisked about Kakashi-sensei's method of teaching was that it did not include her. She could not remember him teaching her a single technique, despite his 'special training' with Sasuke. Playing favourites. Sakura looked intently at Akako, the nicest of her students, and shook her head. No favourites in her team. None of them would be left behind.

If this was Team 7 repeated, she would not allow them to go the same route, she, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi had been forced down.

She would not allow Masa to get consumed by his goal, like Sasuke.

She would not allow Kisho to be left without help in his sad home life, as Naruto had been.

And she would not allow Akako to be ignored and left to watch her teammates grow stronger, as she had.

Kisho looked exhausted, but he couldn't stop grinning ever since she announced she would teach him medical techniques. She had read in his file that his mother had been a medical specialist, explaining why he could use the notoriously difficult chakra scalpel. He was probably average at everything because he had a strong aptitude for medicine, as she had, Sakura thought.

"I want to get to know you all. I don't want to head into battle with three strangers. I will start you all off. My name is Haruno Sakura. I aspire to be _better_ than I am. I enjoy studing medical texts and solving puzzles. Now, Akako, your turn. Tell me what your goals and hobbies are."

Akako pulled herself up into a sitting position, "My name is Akako. I hope I can be a good person. I enjoy cultivating my garden and fixing broken weapons."

She hopes she can be a good person? Sakura thought, puzzled. She had already judged Akako to be the nicest member of the team. But then Akako shyly ran a hand through her hair and met Sakura's eyes. At that moment Akako's chakra surged violently. It gave her the most intense aura... It was almost frightening.

Ah... Sakura thought. Akako was not like her. She was Gaara.

All of her previous jounin teachers had reported her to be 'unsettling,' and some had even gone so far as to call her evil.

No wonder Gaara didn't want Akako to fall through the cracks and be forgotten.

And Masa...

When she looked at his sullen, proud face, everything about him screamed, "Sasuke!"

He wanted to prove his strength to his father and himself.

That bruise on his cheek and his big, bright blue eyes made him look so vulnerable, despite his angry expression and 'I can take care of myself' attitude.

But he, like Sasuke had been, was only twelve years old. When children were put under such pressure and had immense expectations heaped upon them, they broke. Sasuke was the most tragic example Sakura could think of, though Neji and his fight to prove himself against his own family came very close.

Kisho was his mother's carer. He earned the money that payed for her to live. He had no one in the world but his mother. Sakura wanted to help him - making him reach chuunin level would be difficult, but it would definitely increase his income and help ease his burden.

Masa was stretching one of his arms out experimentally. Kisho examined Masa's arm clinically, ignoring the other boy's glare. Akako was sat nearer to them then she had before, though she still hid her face under the curtain of her dark hair.

Sakura looked at her exhausted genin team and smiled to herself.

She would be their first, proper jounin sensei.

xxxxxxxx

Sakura was tired after a long day of training and getting to know her new students. She was longing for an ice-cold bath and then an early night.

When she stepped into her room, she heard paper crunch under her foot.

It was an envelope, it had been pushed under the door.

Frowning, she lifted her foot and picked the envelope up. She opened it and examined the contents, a letter with a single line.

Sakura gasped aloud, the piece of paper slipping from her fingers in her shock.

The letter was from Naruto, the writing was shaky as though it had been rushed.

_Hinata is getting married._

* * *

><p>So! The genin team has been introduced! Akako, Kisho and Masa. This will be fun to expand on, I think.<p>

They will not be like Team 7. Though I wanted them to resemble a mix of characters, I also wanted to make them unique.

I really wanted to give Akako red eyes! I couldn't do it though - too cliched.

A quick rundown of how the genin look: - Akako has light blue eyes and long black hair. Kisho has light brown hair and dark eyes. Masa has glasses, blue eyes and light blonde hair.

**Quick poll take: **Should Gaara and Sasuke get along now that Sasuke is no longer a missing-nin?

A) Yes, they have similar personalities and it would show Gaara's growing maturity.

B) I don't know - maybe they could just be civil to each other, not friends.

C) No way! Gaara should hate Sasuke, and vice versa.


	3. Daffodil Blossoms

Konoha had grown in the last four years, expanding and improving - for example, the simple ramen shop had become a chain of similar shops stretched across the country. The Academy was massive, twice the size it used to be. Sakura assumed this was due to the new training grounds they'd had built. The Hokage's office, built into the Academy, was a familiar, comforting sight for Sakura.

Sakura headed for the gates of Konoha, weapons sheathed and chakra flaring sharply to inform the guards of her presence. Some time in the last four years, Gaara had finally allowed Sakura to travel between the two villages on her own, without an Anbu escort.

It was obvious the village was preparing for a Hyuuga wedding - white streamers and other tasteful decorations were being strung up around the village, confetti littered the streets. Whenever a member of a big clan got married, the whole village celebrated - as evidenced by the big Yamanaka-Inuzuka wedding Ino and Kiba had had.

Sakura allowed the chuunin who guarded the main gates to check over her clothing, searching for something to prove she was not who she said she was.

"What is your full name, your parents' full names, your place of residence, who were your genin teammates, who was your jounin sensei, who is the Hokage's assistant..."

The questions just kept coming. Luckily, Sakura didn't have to think hard to answer any of them. The security of the village had increased massively since Sakura had last left it - four months ago.

"And... flare your chakra, please." The chuunin asked politely.

Another chuunin, a chakra sensor type, came up and appeared to be concentrating.

Sakura sighed but did as she was asked, flaring her chakra strongly enough that the Hokage could recognise it, despite the distance between them.

"Welcome back to Konoha, Haruno-sama." The two chuunin chorused as she walked through the gates.

People gave her warm, friendly looks as she travelled through the village. She stopped next to one and asked very politely where Naruto might be. She received a scandalised look in return.

"He's up in the Hokage residence, Sakura-san." Hyuuga Neji said from behind her.

The years had been kind to Neji, his hair was just as long as it had always been, though it hung over his shoulder in a silky curtain instead of down his back. His face was mature and infinitely kinder than Sakura remembered.

A young girl stood next to him, obviously a relative due to her Byakugan. She was around fourteen years old. Sakura realised she was Hinata's younger sister, though her name escaped her.

Sakura offered a low bow to both of them. Hinata's sister's eyes flickered from Sakura to Neji, and a smile played about her lips.

"I don't believe we've ever met, Sakura-san. I am Hyuuga Hanabi." Hanabi said politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura said sincerely. This was the girl that she had heard was, 'stronger than Hinata but weaker than Neji.'

Hanabi nodded.

"I believe you know my sister?"

"Yes, we were classmates, we took the chuunin exam together."

"You remember Hinata-sama's friend, Naruto?" Neji said to Hanabi. She nodded, still smiling, "He was Sakura-san's teammate."

"Oh. I see. Are you here for Hinata-nee-san's wedding?" Hanabi asked.

"Yes," Sakura made an effort to smile.

Hanabi's shrewd eyes bored through her skull, "I see you are not happy about my sister's fortuitous match."

Sakura cursed mentally, she had forgotten the Hyuuga's talent for reading people, "I am simply a little concerned. I have never met Hinata's fiance, so I am... unsure if the match really is fortuitous, you see."

"I have met him," Hanabi said shortly, "The match is fortuitous."

"If I may speak, Hanabi-sama," Neji said. The younger girl nodded, "I fear Sakura-san's misgivings may have some merit."

Hanabi snorted lightly, "You worry too much, Neji-nii-san. Hinata will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked, unable to stop herself.

Hanabi's wide, pale eyes landed on Sakura's face, reading her doubt and fear for Hinata, "With respect, I know my sister better than you do. Please do not mention your 'misgivings' to her."

Sakura nodded despite wanting nothing more than to shake some sense into the girl. Hinata could not be happy about marrying someone other than Naruto!

xxxxxxxx

Naruto sat in Tsunade's chair, at her desk, playing with some papers when Sakura walked in.

"Naruto..." Sakura said slowly, unable to express how _sorry_ she was for him, how awful it was that Hinata was getting married.

"'When I'm hokage, I'll change the Hyuuga!'" Naruto said bitterly, "Remember that, Sakura-chan? I really thought I could. But I'm not Hokage, not really, and Hinata's going to get married anyway."

"Who is she marrying?"

"Some distant cousin of hers, Hirohi. The head of his family arranged it with her dad."

Naruto's hair was no longer pushed back by his forehead protector, instead it fell messily across his forehead. His face was longer, his eyes had grown less wide and innocent, he had finally grown handsome.

The door opened behind Sakura and two men walked in.

Sasuke stopped suddenly at the sight of Sakura. He was taller so he towered over her, whereas Gaara was only a few inches taller than she was. He was wearing a dark blue eyepatch with the Uchiha symbol printed on it.

Kakashi stood next to him, looking exactly the same as he always had.

"Sasuke." Sakura said, nodding her head in greeting, "Kakashi-sensei."

"Yo, Sakura-sensei." Kakashi grinned back at her.

"What - you're a sensei now?" Sasuke said, puzzled.

"Yeah, Gaara made her a temporary jounin sensei." Naruto replied.

Sakura grinned modestly, though her inner self was merrily boasting about having been made a sensei before her teammates.

Sasuke just looked at her, his single eye focused on her face unsettlingly.

"How long have you got left there?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"In Suna? A year."

"Humph." Sasuke grunted, looking away.

"Aw, is wittle Sasuke upset that his favourite kunoichi has been taken awa -" Kakashi started to say in a babyish voice.

"No." Sasuke said bluntly.

Sakura laughed, knowing that just a few years ago, Sasuke's blunt rejection would have upset her greatly.

"When you go back to Suna, Sakura, we'll come with you. Me and Sasuke're supposed to go looking for Shikamaru and Temari." Kakashi said.

Sakura looked at the floor. She was already missing them both so much... Akira was smart, he'd already figured out that his parents might not return. Poor little Shika was oblivious.

"I need to see Hinata." Sakura said decisively.

"Good luck with that," Naruto snorted, "She's being fitted for her wedding kimono."

"Was it her choice to get married?"

"She didn't exactly say _no_." Naruto scowled.

"And did you ever tell her you love her? Have you told her you don't want her to get married?" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Well... no."

"Then you shouldn't be angry at _her_."

Naruto hit the desk with a bang, "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I blame myself?"

"Dobe, shut up." Sasuke warned him.

"How can I compete with Hirohi? Mr Rich Guy, the guy she's apparently so _lucky _to be marrying? Do you think her dad would ever approve of her going _near _the fucking kyuubi brat?"

"I don't know," Sakura said calmly, "I've never met him."

Sakura's calmness seemed to extinguish Naruto's rage. He sank back into his chair, his hand covering his face.

"Oi, Naruto... stop thinking so hard, I'm getting worried." Kakashi chided him lightly.

"I can't tell her I love her now, can I?" Naruto asked helplessly.

"Well, what would happen to Hinata if she broke the engagement?" Sakura asked.

Naruto examined the papers on his desk and Sakura realised they described Hyuuga politics. Naruto really was devastated about Hinata's engagement - he'd even gone so far as to research what he could do.

"She'd bring shame upon the family," Naruto replied after consulting his notes, "If Hiashi or someone else high up in the family decided to break it... then _maybe_ the family's pride would be OK. Maybe."

"Maybe you should talk to Hinata's father then?"

"Yeah, and have him dismember me for daring to befoul his presence with my evil?"

"I didn't know you knew the word, 'befoul.'" Kakashi said, sounding impressed.

"Save it, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said wearily, and for a moment his face trembled.

"Right, I'm going to go find Hinata and see what I can do." Sakura said abruptly, her decision having been made the moment Naruto's expression had become so pitiful.

"I'll come with you." Sasuke offered.

"No, that's fine." Sakura smiled, "Bye."

She disappeared through the door.

Sasuke's eye glittered angrily.

"Now, now, Sasuke. She's done nothing wrong." Kakashi said lightly.

Sasuke threw him a look so full of hatred Kakashi was surprised his face didn't shrivel up and die at the sight of it.

Sasuke stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Naruto and Kakashi shared a look, eyebrows raised.

"Hormones." Kakashi explained.

"He's twenty years old!"

"He's a late bloomer."

xxxxxxxx

Hinata turned out to be in the Hyuuga residence, standing in the middle of the room, arms raised.

And old woman was pinning glittering white material to Hinata's underclothes, frowning at her needle and thread in concentration. Hinata's hair was pulled back in a severe bun by silvery clips. Her face had been very carefully made up to make her look like a delicate little china doll, her mouth a startling red, her eyes outlined in black, her face pale underneath the powder.

A boy was sitting next to Hanabi, watching Hinata with something akin to awe in his eyes.

"Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked uneasily.

Hinata started, surprised, and was immediately loudly chastised by the old woman for moving.

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked, unable to turn around to look at her.

"Yes. I was hoping for a chat but... I guess now's not the best time." Sakura said with a wry grin.

"I'm very sorry to have wasted your time, Sakura-chan. I... I am sure I will see you tomorrow, at the - my wedding."

To Sakura's horror, she could barely make out little stains of old tears on Hinata's face, hurriedly covered by powder.

"The dressmaker is making sure Hinata-nee-chan's kimono will fit." Hanabi spoke up suddenly, "Why don't you tell me what you wanted to tell nee-san, and I will pass on the message?"

"Um... OK." Sakura agreed nervously.

"May I come, Hanabi-san?" The young man asked eagerly.

The old woman turned and raised her brows at the young man, "And leave your beautiful bride to have her fitting alone?"

Oh. My. God.

Sakura tried hard to hide her shock.

This boy was Hinata's fiance!

He had wide, round Hyuuga eyes, his face still had a little puppy-fat and he had long brown hair.

He was practically a child!

"Oh, of course." Hirohi said, sounding disappointed.

"I do not mind if Hirohi-san leaves for a while," Hinata said carefully, "A woman sh-should let her... husband have time to himself."

The old woman seemed convinced, "Very true. Very well, Hirohi-san. Take a nice walk."

"And I think it appropriate if you would refer to me as Hanabi-nee-chan, as your future sister-in-law." Hanabi said, seeming almost amused.

Hirohi blushed, "Oh! Of course, Hanabi-nee-chan!"

They all went out into the corridor. Creeping vines and roses covered the Hyuuga residence, they stepped out into the courtyard, blinking in the harsh sunlight.

"What was it you wanted, Sakura-san?" Hanabi asked politely.

After years of living in the more carefree Suna, Sakura found the overly polite conversations the Hyuuga's shared both unnatural and unsettling.

It was awkward, with Hinata's groom standing beside Hanabi, but Sakura intended to get her point across.

"Does Hirohi-san know about Naruto?" Sakura asked pointedly.

"No," Hanabi glared, "There is nothing to know."

Hirohi looked lost, "What? Who is Naruto?"

"Never mind that. How old are you, Hirohi-san?"

Now he looked even more confused, "Fifteen," He replied.

In five years time that age gap would be nothing, but Hinata was essentially marrying a child.

"Why are you marrying so early?"

"I can answer that," Hanabi cut in bossily, "Father is concerned that Hinata-nee-san has never taken an interest in any possible suitors. She is twenty years old and in Father's eyes she should have had at least one child by now. Hinata has no heir. She is not the clan head _yet_, but it looks as though Father will pick her. If Hinata is married when the time comes to pick the next head, her position will be a lot stronger."

"But... and no offence intended, Hirohi-san, but if he wants Hinata to have children quickly, why did he pick someone so young?"

Hirohi did not look even a little offended. He appeared to be quite nice, oddly enough. Sakura had assumed Hinata's fiance would be like her father, stern, a little unfriendly... just the wrong sort of person for Hinata. But there was something almost Naruto-like in Hirohi's wide smile and open, friendly disposition.

He was trying to give Hinata the next best thing, Sakura realised.

Meanwhile, Hanabi was talking, "- and there aren't many young, unmarried Hyuuga men left. At least, not any that aren't closely related to nee-san."

"How long have you known Hinata-chan, Hirohi-san?"

"Almost three weeks," Hirohi said earnestly, "I have come from another village to marry the next Konoha clan head. It will be a great honour!"

"Yes," Hanabi said, smiling, "to marry the clan-head is the highest honour my Father could have bestowed upon you, Hiroshi-nii-san."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Hanabi's tone was strange, almost mocking.

Hiroshi did not notice Hanabi's odd behavior, "I am extremely grateful that Hiashi-sama would entrust his daughter to me. I will endeavor to make sure I do not let him down."

"You won't." Hanabi said sweetly.

Sakura felt her suspicion grow. What was Hanabi up to?

xxxxxxxx

The sound of squealing children could be heard even through the thick front door of the building.

Sakura knocked again, hard, and stepped back.

Ino opened the door.

A few months ago, she and Sakura would have leapt at each other gleefully in greeting, but Ino had... _grown_ since then.

Her stomach swelled out, the buttons of her shirt about to burst open. She stood with her legs wide apart as though she could not physically pull them together.

"Sakura. Hi. Come in." Ino said shortly, clutching her back and waddling into the house.

Sakura followed her in.

Kiba was playing with his children, the eldest, Hanako, an adorable girl with brown hair and big blue eyes, and the youngest, Miki, a little boy who was the spitting image of his father.

Kiba was holding both children by one ankle each, swinging them through the air.

"Don't, they'll be sick." Ino said reprovingly.

Kiba disobediently swung them harder.

"Akamaru!" Ino yelled.

The massive dog bounded into the living room.

"Foot stool." Ino said, pointing at the floor next to the sofa. He obediently lay on his stomach.

Ino slowly eased herself down onto the couch and placed her swollen feet on top of the dog's back carefully.

"Thanks, Akamaru." She sighed blissfully.

Sakura went to sit down next to Ino, but halted when Akamaru began to growl at her.

"Oh shut up, Akamaru, Sakura's a friend." Kiba chided his dog, putting his children back into their proper, upright positions.

Akamaru grumbled when Sakura sat down beside Ino, keeping his suspicious eyes fixed upon her.

"Never again, Sakura." Ino said, pointing at her pregnant stomach, "I can't handle anymore."

"Oi, no! I want a whole litter - group!" Kiba corrected himself hastily at the sight of Ino's glaring face, "group of kids!"

"No! No more! I am not a dog, Kiba!"

"Well, I suppose you technically are, since you're a part of my pack now..." Kiba said thoughtfully.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Ino put her face in her hands. "Oh God... I wasn't raised to be a dog. I mean, yeah, I've always been called a bitch but I never thought _literally_..."

The house was a mess, toys everywhere and fur coating every surface. Sakura patted Ino's back awkwardly.

"I guess you're here for Hinata's wedding, huh?" Ino said, her voice muffled by her hands.

"Yeah... about that..."

Ino raised her head, "Look, Sakura. That's the only formal outfit I own."

She pointed at a blue silk kimono hanging up in a corner. Its waist was tiny.

"I can't wear that!" Ino said, distraught, "I'm the size of a house!"

"I told you, just wear your normal clothes." Kiba said patiently.

"It's a Hyuuga wedding, Kiba! The only one we're likely to be invited to since the only other Hyuuga we know is Neji and he lives like a chaste monk and no other Hyuuga would invite us because we... we..." Ino broke into dramatic sobs, "We _smell like dogs!_"

Sakura struggled to keep a straight face. Ino did indeed smell pleasantly musky, just like Akamaru.

"There is nothing wrong with smelling like a dog!" Kiba insisted.

Ino gave him an incredulous glare, "Yes. Yes there is. You are having a _long_ bath tonight."

"What? Why?"

"_Because we're going to a wedding tomorrow, you uncultured, smelly mutt_!"

"Should I go...?" Sakura muttered.

"No, stay, stay." Kiba said, "You're worried about Hinata, right?" Sakura nodded, "Yeah, me too. The only guy she'd ever want to marry is Naruto. I still haven't even met this, 'Hirohi!'"

"I have, he seemed nice." Sakura replied.

"Nice as in, mind-numbingly dull?"

Sakura made a face in agreement.

xxxxxxxx

The next night, and Sakura sat in a massive hall with hundreds of guest sitting cross-legged on the silk carpet, all dressed beautifully. Ino and Kiba were sat next to each other, having left the children at home with a nanny, and whenever anyone looked at Ino's informal clothing oddly, Ino would just point at her stomach and shrug.

The hall was filled with thousands of tiny candles, lighting up the gigantic room. Silk flowers were woven into silver banners that stretched across the marble pillars. Daffodils were everywhere - in crystal vases, in guests' hair or pinned to their clothing. Clearly, they were going to be Hinata and Hirohi's symbol.

Hinata and Hirohi sat together facing the guests, both of them looking resplendent in their wedding clothes.

Hinata's glittering white kimono was decorated with flowers stitched in silver thread. Sakura looked closer and recognised them as daffodils.

Naruto sat at the very back of the room, having not been allowed to sit closer to the couple. Even now, angry tears glittered in his eyes. He was staring at Hinata. His kimono was shabby and made of poor material.

Sakura tried very, very hard not to cry for her poor best friend.

Shino sat near Kiba and Ino, still wearing his sunglasses despite the occasion. Sakura thought his body language appeared to be upset.

The rest of the Hyuugas sat together near the front of the room, a mass of pale, expensive kimono and elaborate hairstyles. Hanabi sat with her hands in her lap next to her father. She wore a pale pink kimono with a white silk daffodil in her hair.

Hinata and Hirohi were each passed a ceremonial silver cup beset with rubies. An old man with blind Hyuuga eyes began to speak in a quavering voice.

The ceremony had begun.

Naruto looked away in disgust.

Hinata did not move or look away from the old man speaking in front of her.

Hirohi's eyes were darting around the room nervously. Sakura was struck by how very young he looked.

Hinata nodded and lifted her cup to drink.

Naruto wiped his eyes furiously.

Hinata froze in her movements. Hirohi stopped before he could drink, looking at his bride in confusion.

A few guests muttered to themselves.

Hiashi's face darkened with rage as Hinata could not make herself drink.

"I contest this match." Hanabi said loudly, her voice carrying across the hall.

The room erupted into whispers as Hanabi stood.

She looked very small and regal in her clothing.

Hinata stared at her sister, shocked.

"Fujita-sama, I am afraid my father does you wrong." Hanabi said smoothly. Hiashi had gone purple in some strong emotion.

An older man frowned up at Hanabi from his seat "How so?" He asked.

"Hinata is not the rightful heir. I am." Hanabi announced, "Everyone knows that Hinata is not as talented as me in combat. She has never once beaten me in a duel. Fujita-sama, my father promised that your son would marry the Konoha clan-head. Did any of you really believe Hinata would succeed my father?"

Sakura first thought Hanabi was being cruel but she noticed the look of dawning comprehension on Hinata's face and the slow, disbelieving grin on Naruto's.

A few of the Hyuugas looked as though they agreed with Hanabi's statements.

"I cannot stand by and allow poor Hirohi-san to be forced into a lesser match," Hanabi said, suddenly sounding selfless and noble, "I suggest myself as a superior bride."

Sakura's jaw dropped.

Hinata's eyes had filled with tears, she was shaking her head, in the grip of some powerful emotion.

Fujita thought about it, stroking his beard, "We did believe that the youngest would be clan-head... I had hoped Hiashi-san had simply changed his mind... would you, child, be willing to become my son's bride in your sister's place?"

Hanabi did not hesitate, "Of course."

"No, Hanabi-nee-chan..." Hinata said despairingly, "You don't have to do this."

No wonder Hanabi had been so confident that Hinata would be fine, no wonder she didn't want Sakura to persuade Hinata to break the match... She had always planned to do it herself.

"No, I refuse." Hiashi said fiercely.

"You were supposed to give my son your heir's hand in marriage," Fujita said sternly, "Instead you tried to fob him off with the more useless daughter. Such trickery! The contract required you to relinquish one daughter, Hiashi-san. I believe Hanabi would be more appropriate for my son."

Hirohi looked as though someone had hit him over the head with a shovel.

Hinata had stopped fighting the tears, they were coming down thick and fast, ruining her makeup.

Naruto's face was lit up in admiration and intense gratitude for Hanabi.

"And of course, I am in love with Hirohi-san." Hanabi said, almost as an afterthought.

Shino looked amused.

"How convenient," Fujita said, though he had a smug grin on his face now he believed he had narrowly escaped a poor match for his son.

"I only wanted what was best for my daughter." Hiashi said thickly, sounding shockingly as though he was close to tears too.

"And I want what is best for my son. And I judge that to be Hanabi. Would you mind taking your sister's seat, Hinata?" Fujita asked.

Hinata rose gracefully, still crying pitifully for her sister.

Hanabi moved to take her sister's place. They shared a look as they passed each other, Hinata's despair and immense gratitude written all over her face.

Hanabi sat on Hinata's wedding cushion. She smiled at Hirohi, who still looked dazed from the shock of switching brides all of a sudden.

Kiba had the biggest grin Sakura had ever seen on his face.

"Now, we shall begin." The old blind man said, lifting the ceremonial cups once more, starting his speech again.

Hinata glanced over at Naruto, who smiled back at her in intense relief and joy. Hinata's doll makeup was smeared and her face was a mess, but Sakura privately thought she had never looked more beautiful than she did now, beaming at Naruto across the hall.

Hanabi held Hirohi's hand and drank from the cup, sealing the seal. She and Hirohi bowed their heads as the guests clapped politely, none harder than Sakura, Naruto, Kiba, Ino and Shino.

Hanabi smiled at the guests, squeezing her confusedly happy husband's hand.

* * *

><p>Aha, that's right! I married Hanabi off! Do not despair, readers, Hirohi was not due to provide an heir until he became old enough - he and Hanabi will not have to have children for many years yet.<p>

Naruto mentioned himself earlier on that marriages could only be broken without shaming the family if it was done by a higher up member of the family. Like Fujita...

I chose daffodils as their symbol as they mean unrequited love - one of Hinata's defining characteristics was her unrequited love for Naruto. They also apparently mean 'the sun shines when I'm with you,' a sentiment I thought expressed Naruto and Hinata's relationship perfectly.

Since Hanabi has no personality in canon, I took great liberties with her XD

Because Hanabi is going to be clan-head, does that make Hinata a branch member? If so, doesn't that mean she can marry Naruto...?

Sasuke is acting a little pissy, is he not? More on that to come...

**Quick poll for fun: **Should Hanabi and Hirohi have a happy marriage?

A) No, it would be more sad and emotional if Hanabi purposefully trapped herself in a loveless relationship for her sister.

B) Don't know - maybe they could have a stormy but loving relationship.

C) Yes, Hanabi deserves love.


	4. Anger Blossoms

Kakashi stroked Pakkun's head to calm him as they walked through the Kazekage Compound. Pakkun had never quite forgotten fighting against Suna, and it was unsettling being deep into their territory. He shifted a little in Kakashi's arms and watched Sakura walk in front of them, leading the way.

Sakura was aware of Sasuke's one-eyed stare boring into her back as she walked, and tried her best to ignore it. Her and Sasuke were not friends, not really. Not since he left Konoha. They were awkward around each other, the memory of Sasuke's betrayal too fresh in their minds to let them be truly close.

Sakura's outfit had shifted to fit Suna's heat and Sasuke couldn't seem to understand why she wore it. She now wore her hitae-ate around her neck, like Temari had done, and her hair was almost always in a spiky ponytail. She wore a short black top with a metal chest plate and mesh sleeves. She had kept her old shorts, but had teamed them with some sand-resistant boots. When she had crawled out of her tent after quickly changing on the way to Suna, Sasuke had looked surprised.

A few jounin waved at Sakura as she passed them. Sasuke glared at every one of them.

Pakkun started lightly growling when they reached Gaara's office - he remembered the crazy Shukaku brat who'd squashed Sakura and beaten Sasuke and Naruto. This room smelt just like him.

Sakura knocked the door, brushing down her clothes and fixing her tousled hair.

Sasuke and Kakashi exchanged glances.

"Come in." Gaara said from inside.

Sasuke swept past Sakura and entered the room before her, to her annoyance. Kakashi hauled a struggling Pakkun into the room.

Pakkun, being the intelligent dog that he was, tried his best not to bark at the Kazekage when he saw him at his desk.

Gaara looked up, chin resting on his hand. His eyes narrowed when he noticed Sasuke.

"Gaara!" Sakura said nervously, "I brought Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. They're going to help us find Temari and Shikamaru."

Sasuke and Gaara glared with deep dislike at each other, former opponents and rivals.

"I understand Kakashi's assistance being valuable, with his nin-dogs' scenting ability, but I do not understand why the Uchiha is here." Gaara said to Sakura, giving Sasuke a black look.

"Sasuke is my assigned partner, Kazekage-sama. We work well together." Kakashi explained, still stroking Pakkun.

Gaara's lip curled in scorn, "I see,"

Sasuke's jaw was clenched.

"Gaara, Sasuke can help, I promise. He is very skilled." Sakura said earnestly.

Sasuke looked at her, his dark expression lifting somewhat.

By contrast, Gaara's frown deepened at Sakura's praise for Sasuke.

"Fine," He shrugged, his expression becoming impassive, as always, "I suppose your dog requires Temari and Shikamaru's scent?" He added, looking at Kakashi.

"Yes, I do," Pakkun said in his growling voice, "And the dog's name is Pakkun."

Gaara opened a drawer in his desk and pulled something out.

He opened his palms to show the dog, and Sakura caught a glimpse of an edge of one of Temari's fans and a Shougi tile. Her chest tightened.

"They both touched these objects before they left." Gaara said quietly.

"The scent is pretty weak, but it's there." Pakkun sniffed Gaara's hands, hard.

"Would I smell like them?" A little voice came from the doorway.

Akira was peering into the room, his face solemn.

"You should be with Kanae." Gaara said sternly.

"I must smell like them, they hugged me all the time!" Akira ignored Gaara and came into the room, pushing his hands at Pakkun.

Pakkun sniffed them awkwardly. "Sorry kid. You smell nice, but not like your parents."

Akira's eyes welled up with tears, "I thought..." He whispered.

Sasuke looked away, and Sakura remembered that he had been through something similar, losing his parents so young. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed it gently in comfort. Gaara closed his eyes.

"Akira-kun?" Kanae called, sounding harried.

She pushed the door open and flushed at the sight of them all staring at her.

"I-I'm sorry. Akira-kun, come here!" She said, flustered. The little boy jumped at her and started wailing, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in her stomach. She blinked in surprise, but patted his head.

"Kanae, please buy Akira a treat in the market." Gaara said meaningfully, passing her some coins, "Perhaps a toy?"

Akira sniffed, "I don't want a toy. I want to go find my parents."

"Would they want you to go after them?" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Yes!" He insisted defiantly, "They would!"

"Shika needs you here, Akira." Sakura said, giving the angry boy a smile, "And you know your parents would want you here with her."

Akira's bottom lip quivered, "I know."

Kanae picked him up and left the room, promising Akira toys and sweets and puzzles.

Gaara buried his head in his hands.

Kakashi took the shougi tile and the fan and let Pakkun smell them a bit more.

"Have you got the trail?" Kakashi asked in a low voice.

Pakkun breathed the smell in deeply, "Yup. One of them's a smoker, huh? Stinks. I'll be able to follow the scent, yeah."

"Right, we should go. Come on Sasuke."

Kakashi left the room after bowing to Gaara, who ignored him.

Sakura realised her hand was still on Sasuke's arm and she pulled it back, flushing in embarrassment. He looked at her intently.

"See you _later _Sakura." Sasuke said, emphasising 'later' to annoy Gaara. He followed Kakashi out.

"No you won't." Gaara muttered.

"What?" Sakura frowned at him.

Gaara just waved his hand dismissively.

Sakura wasn't convinced by his dismissiveness, but was distracted when she remembered something, "Oh! Gaara, how are my genin doing?"

Gaara looked through his notes, "Masa threw shuriken at a child who bit him. They needed healing. Akako had a check-up and was reported as underweight. Kisho's doing fine."

Sakura groaned, "Right, I'll talk to Masa about overreacting and using ninja weaponry on children. I have an idea about how to deal with Akako, but I'll need Kisho and Masa with me. I bet you Kisho isn't fine at all. That boy is too proud to tell anyone he needs help."

Gaara stood up and looked out of the window, "I keep expecting Temari and Shikamaru to just walk back in."

Sakura fidgeted, feeling indecisive. She knew Gaara could do with some comfort, but over the years, the lines had blurred and she no longer knew where she stood with him.

She gave in and walked over to him. He looked at her enquiringly. She pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. She expected him to stiffen, but he hugged her back like human contact came naturally to him. She got a bit emotional then, proudly realising Gaara had changed for the better.

They stayed like that for a while, Sakura smelling Gaara's clean soap smell whilst he concentrated on committing this moment to his memory.

"Kazekage-sama, we forgot -" Kakashi started to say, bursting into the room with Sasuke at his heels.

Sakura released Gaara instantly in shock. Sasuke stared at them, his expression inscrutable. Gaara didn't let go of Sakura's waist.

"Yes? What is it?" Gaara glared at them impatiently.

Kakashi's eye had widened. "Oh, it's nothing, really... Sakura?"

She was blushing, she could feel it. It was just pure embarrassment, but she knew exactly how it would look to Sasuke and Kakashi.

Sasuke's face was violently angry, "Sakura, what are you doing?" He snapped.

Gaara's grip tightened.

Sakura began to grow annoyed. What was his problem? "None of your business." She snapped back.

Gaara let out a little huff of laughter.

Pakkun managed to convey amusement despite his heavily wrinkled doggy face.

"Sakura, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Kakashi asked, looking supremely awkward.

Sakura nodded, then went to leave. She was halted by the arms around her waist.

She looked at Gaara. He looked back at her calmly.

Sasuke's scowl was growing with every second that Gaara held onto Sakura.

"Gaara, would you mind letting go?" Sakura asked, a little confused.

He released her abruptly.

"Are you... are you OK?" She asked him hesitantly as he turned away from her. He ignored her.

Kakashi grabbed her arm and tugged her out of the room.

xxxxxxxx

Gaara breathed out shakily. He knew the Uchiha had remained in the room, and he was not in the mood to listen to the former traitor's insults. Sakura's embrace had unsettled him.

"What is she to you?" Sasuke asked bluntly.

Gaara turned around slowly, "What do you care? You didn't seem to care about Sakura when you left her, or when you tried to kill her."

"Answer my question." Sasuke growled.

"I love her." Gaara said coolly.

Sasuke looked startled by Gaara's honesty, "And what about her? Does she... love you?"

Gaara smiled. It was a nasty, sharp-looking smile, "I don't see how that concerns you, Uchiha."

"I've known her a long time." Sasuke countered.

"The difference between you and me, Sasuke, is that I have never hurt her, or wanted to." Gaara said. He despised this man, the blemish in Sakura's life, the man who had destroyed her and now refused to let her go.

"Never hurt her?" Sasuke said incredulously, "She has to walk around with those scars because of you! You put her in hospital! Do you know what it's like," He said with a sudden heat, "watching someone you care about go through something like that? To watch her scream in pain? You forget, Gaara, I was there when you did that to her. A lot of people think you've changed, but you and I know you're the same as you always were. A monster."

"Me, the monster?" Gaara snapped, losing his temper. Sakura's refusal to heal her scars was a sore point for him, "And what about you? You abandoned her. You weren't there. Everyone else had to clean up your mess, Sasuke. I remember the girl who came to Suna years ago. She was destroyed. She couldn't sleep. You didn't stick around to see what you had done, did you? What you did left a scar too, Sasuke."

"I had to avenge my family! I couldn't stay in Konoha, I needed to get stronger!" Sasuke yelled.

"Get out of my office." Gaara said venemously, sitting back down at his desk, "I don't want to look at you anymore."

Sasuke looked as though he was restraining himself, his fists were clenched. Finally he whirled around and headed to the door.

"I might be a monster like you," He said suddenly, facing away from Gaara, "But at least she loved me."

The door closed behind him.

The sand in Gaara's gourd thrashed around, agitated by his mood.

It took a lot of willpower to prevent the cork popping out. Gaara would have dearly loved to have let the sand catch and break Sasuke. Only the thought of Sakura's heartbroken reaction stopped him. If not for that, Kazekage or not, Gaara knew he would have killed him.

He covered his face with his hands, the familiar feeling of anxiety creeping up on him. He didn't want to be that impulsive killing machine he used to be. But he was afraid of what he might do if Sasuke flaunted Sakura's past love for him again.

He sat alone in his office, listening to the sand angrily thrash around in its container.

xxxxxxxx

Kakashi pulled Sakura all the way down the corridor, not noticing Sasuke lingering behind in the Kazekage's office.

"Sakura, forgive me, but I'm fairly certain _hugging _is not in your job description, so what was that?" Kakashi asked, sounding pained. Catching your only female student hugging the _Kazekage_ was not something that happened every day.

"You know Gaara and I are friends." Sakura said stiffly.

"Naruto is your friend. Hinata is your friend. Even _Sasuke _is your friend. Gaara is your _boss_. And he's about as fond of hugging as a cactus, so why was he refusing to let you go?"

Once again Sakura was forced to explain Gaara's 'affection' for her, "He's got a lot better about touching. He hugs Kankuro too. He's just unused to it. He didn't realise he was supposed to let go." Lying wasn't something that came naturally to Sakura, so this made her squirm. She just didn't want to tell anyone the private things Gaara had told her.

Kakashi seemed unconvinced, "Right. So, do you know what Sasuke's problem is?"

Honestly, Kakashi could be as bad as a gossipy school girl.

"Not really. He never used to talk to me before, but now he stares at me all the time and tries to talk to me... I just don't understand him." Sakura shook her head.

"Sasuke's loyalties and friendships are muddled. He didn't want to come back to Konoha, and honestly he should have been executed. Don't give me that scary look! I only mean that by law, he should have been executed. Because he wasn't, he feels insecure about his place in Konoha. There are only a few people in the entire village that don't despise him, and the girl who always supported him and loved him no matter what is suddenly living in another village. It's difficult for him." Kakashi said shrewdly.

"He has Naruto." Sakura protested, "He doesn't need me!"

"He and Naruto aren't best friends anymore, Sakura. He betrayed Naruto just as much as he betrayed you. You don't love him anymore, and Naruto can't be there for him like he used to. Sasuke hates feeling guilty and he hates being alone. He needs you, believe me." Kakashi patted her shoulder.

"What can I do? I live here now."

"I don't know... talk to him. Tell him you still care."

But do I? Sakura examined her feelings. Could she truly care for someone who had raised their sword as she approached, had pointed it her way, had looked at her so coldly, without any recognition or sign that he cared...

Gaara had once looked at her the same way, before raising his hand and ripping open her arm. People could change. Sasuke could change.

"Fine, I'll talk to him. Kakashi-sensei, do you really think you can find Temari and Shikamaru? Why is Tsunade-sama only sending two jounin after them?"

"She's not. She's sending her best scouting team and quite a few jounin. And by the way, Sakura. Don't think I haven't noticed that whilst you are close to the Hokage, you still call her, 'Tsunade-sama,' and yet you call the Kazekage by his first name." Kakashi winked.

Sakura was about to reply when Gaara's door burst open and Sasuke emerged.

_He needs you, believe me_

Kakashi was right.

So Sakura gave Sasuke her biggest, brightest smile possible and said cheerfully, "So, when are you next coming to visit?"

Sasuke paused, looking confused. The smile had not been expected. He hesitantly replied, "I'm not sure. When the hokage gives me some time off, probably."

Sakura punched his arm playfully, "Make sure it's soon!"

Sasuke didn't respond, just stared at her, wide-eyed, until she began to feel uncomfortable.

"Come on, Sasuke, Pakkun's losing the trail." Kakashi held his dog up in proof.

As Sasuke passed Kakashi, Sakura caught sight of Kakashi winking at him.

What was their sensei up to?

xxxxxxxx

Kisho and Masa followed Sakura obediently up the stairs. Masa had listened to Sakura's anti-using-weaponry-on-children-speech with a scowl, but Sakura was still hopeful he wouldn't do it again.

"Akako lives here?" Masa screwed up his nose, kicking aside an old sake bottle on the stairs.

Kisho said nothing.

"Yes, she does. Try not to insult her home in front of her, please?"

They finally reached the door that Sakura had been informed was Akako's. She knocked on the door.

Akako took a long time to answer.

She finally opened the door, sleepy-eyed, wearing rumpled pyjamas. Sakura noticed the word 'monster' had been carved on the outside of Akako's front door. She thought of Naruto with a pang of regret, wishing she could have been there for Naruto when he lived alone, bearing the burden of the village's hatred.

Akako's blue eyes narrowed at the sight of her team on her doorstep, "What is it?" She yawned, "Do we have a mission?"

"No," Sakura shook her head, "I wanted us all to get to know each other today."

Akako still looked confused, but she let them in anyway. Masa's face was screwed up in distaste, but he entered without saying something disdainful.

Akako's flat was small and modest. She kept it very, very clean, but no amount of cleaning could disguise the smell emanating from the stairwell outside or the rats scuttling about underneath her window. There were weapons in buckets on the floor, kunai floating in scummy water, broken swords neatly arranged on tables and shuriken hanging up on the walls.

"I thought you said you had a garden?" Kisho raised his eyebrows.

"I do." Akako said flatly. She didn't seem to appreciate Masa's open disdain or Sakura's sympathy.

She pointed towards the window-sill. There were a few plant pots on it with beautifully cultivated cacti and desert roses growing in them.

"Oh," Sakura said after an awkward silence.

Akako looked as though she was daring them to insult her home. Sakura looked around. She could see the beautiful plants and the well-cleaned home. Akako obviously worked hard to keep it spotless and homey.

Sakura grinned and suddenly grabbed the three genin and pulled them into an impulsive hug. Masa struggled fiercely. Akako hesitantly hugged Sakura back. Kisho rolled his eyes but didn't fight her grip.

Her three little genin, so proud and difficult.

She wouldn't abandon them.

Even if Masa was kicking her. Spoilt brat.

* * *

><p>Sorry about the massively long delay in updates and this tiny chapter :( best I can do when I'm so busy with uni homework and other fanfiction commitments :S<p>

**Quick poll for fun: **Who is the most badass male ninja in Naruto?

A) Naruto

B) Sasuke

C) Kakashi

D) Other! Let me know!


	5. Drug Blossoms

Kanae was busily tidying up the nursery, pausing only to coo at Shika every now and then, picking up broken crayons and disposing of them, tutting at some toys left on the floor and peering out of the window, resting her arms on the windowsill.

Sakura smiled at the sight. Kanae had already carved herself a place in Gaara's odd little family. You could always count on her to keep the children happy in their parents' absence. There was still something about her that grated on Sakura – whether it was the other woman's personality or her own suspicions of the babysitter's intentions, she wasn't quite sure – that left her feeling uneasy whenever they spoke.

"Kanae-san, Gaara was wondering if Shika had been fed yet, and if not, he wanted to know if he could do it instead." Sakura called from the doorway.

Kanae jumped, tucking some hair behind her ear nervously at the sight of Sakura. Whatever Sakura's issue with Kanae was, the older woman appeared to sense it and was cautiously polite around her.

"Oh, hello, Sakura-san," She said uncertainly, "No, I haven't fed her yet. I was going to, but if the Kazekage wishes, then I will –"

"Here's a tip," Sakura winked, "Call him Gaara and he'll like you more."

Kanae's spirits seemed to lift, "Really? I do find the Kazekage very admirable. He is a very strong leader, and well-loved by his people. Even my little village talks about him, and always very warmly. When I got the job here I was so excited. To work for such a great man is an honour indeed, my family were so proud of me – why are you looking at me like that?"

Sakura, unable to stop herself, giggled, "To think I thought you were too quiet! You are quite the little chatterbox when you feel like it! It's nice that you feel you can talk to me. If you don't mind me saying, you've been a little… restrained in my company lately."

Kanae blushed, "I have no issue with you, Sakura-san. I think you too are admirable, just like the Kazekage. You are both strong and beautiful. I must admit a slight feeling of… inadequacy in your presence."

Sakura's eyebrows shot up, a woman feeling inadequate in _her_ presence? Sakura felt her scars itch and gave a wry smile. She hadn't thought of herself as beautiful for a very long time… Not since her arm had been subjected to such intensive torture and suddenly whenever strangers stared at her in the street, it was not her face they were fixated by, but her grotesquely scarred arm.

"You needn't feel inadequate in any way," Sakura said, smiling with only the slightest hint of melancholy. She had chosen not to heal her scars. She couldn't complain when people stared at them. She was a ninja, not a pampered little princess, and feeling ugly and unfeminine was part of the job, "I admire you just as much."

Kanae's mouth screwed up slightly then, as though she was close to tears. She managed to smile, "Thank you, Sakura-san. That is very kind of you."

"Let's not be formal here. Call me Sakura." She stuck her hand out.

Kanae looked hesitant for a second and then slowly extended her hand, "OK, Sakura."

"Let's be friends, Kanae." Sakura shook hands with the older woman.

For a moment they just smiled at each other and Sakura felt all feelings of suspicion melt away. Kanae was a little shy, a little too formal and she was obviously insecure, but she seemed nice and sweet. Kankuro seemed to think so, anyway, judging by how he followed her around.

"Sakura," Gaara suddenly appeared around the doorframe, panting, "Come with me. Hurry!"

He turned on his heel and ran.

With an apologetic glance at Kanae, Sakura ran after the Kazekage, a little confused and worried.

"In here," Gaara said, abruptly turning a corner and ending up in his office.

Sakura followed him in and gasped immediately, staggering backwards, clutching the doorframe for support.

Bloodied and sweaty, Temari stood leaning against Gaara's desk with Shikamaru in her arms. His face was pale and he was shaking convulsively.

At the sight of Sakura, Temari immediately lurched forward and placed Shikamaru on the floor, "Heal him, Sakura! Heal him!"

Sakura dropped to Shikamaru's side instantly, the urgency in Temari's voice propelling her forwards.

Shikamaru's stomach was a mess of blood and torn flesh.

It was bad.

Gaara was standing silently behind her, but she felt his supportive hand on her shoulder.

Temari was staring anxiously into her face, beginning to shake herself, one of her eyes closed against a blossoming black eye, "Can you heal him?" She asked desperately, her voice trembling.

Sakura wordlessly spread her hands over Shikamaru's ruined abdomen.

The damage was extensive.

She moved closer and began to pour chakra into his wound. "I don't have time to remove his spleen," Sakura commented to herself absently, "I need to close off the bleeding. It'll heal on its own. Come on, come on… stop bleeding…"

The ruined flesh began to slowly repair itself as blood continued to pump from the wound, "Should I cauterise it?" Sakura wondered aloud, her question answered by the blood flow slowing, "No.."

She started to seal the wound, the flesh knitting together, leaving an ugly, large scar over Shikamaru's stomach.

"Well done," Gaara said from behind her, and she could hear the relief in his voice, "Now, Temari."

"No, I'm not done yet." Sakura shook her head, wiping her brow and frowning in concentration, "Something else is wrong. Can you get me another nurse?"

Gaara sprinted off in search of another medic, leaving her alone with the injured husband and wife.

Temari fell to the floor, her limbs trembling and her mouth open in anguish, "Argh!" She cried out, clutching her head, "Oh God, it hurts!"

Sakura placed her hand on Temari's forehead and drew it away sharply. Her temperature was way above average… Shit.

Shikamaru was out of immediate danger, Sakura decided, and moved around him to reach his wife.

She pinned Temari down gently as the woman convulsed and cried. Sakura put her hands on Temari's face, her cool hands soothing the searing heat of the older girl's skin. She searched for the cause of Temari's pain and fever.

An unfamiliar substance was rushing around in Temari's veins. Sakura felt fear deep in her stomach, and pulled up Temari's sleeves. Multiple needle marks littered her skin.

"Shit," Sakura bit her lip. Temari had been drugged, several times.

Whatever the drug was, she needed to get it out of her system immediately, before it did any more damage. Sakura inwardly marvelled at the fact that Temari, pumped full of poisonous drugs and beaten within an inch of her life, had been able to carry Shikamaru at all. The girl was tough.

Sakura began to move her hands in sinuous motions, up and down, trying to coax the drugs out of Temari's system with her chakra.

Nothing.

The drugs did not respond. They must have been designed to resist the pull of chakra. Sakura cursed.

Shikamaru was whimpering slightly, still unconscious. Temari drifted in and out, eyes fluttering open and shut.

Sakura was kneeling on the floor of the Kazekage's office, the rough carpet scraping against her bare knees, staring helplessly at her two friends, lying side by side, trembling violently, obviously in pain.

Just to confirm her fears, she reached out and examined Shikamaru's arm. Riddled with needle marks, just like his wife.

If they died… Sakura felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. If they died, what would happen to Shika and Akira? They would lose their parents before they really knew them…

Gaara rushed into the room and stopped dead at the sight of Sakura kneeling on the ground, tears in her eyes, defeated expression on her face. He looked hastily at the married couple on the floor, dread etched in his face.

"They're alive," Sakura said wearily, "But I've never come across anything like this…"

The nurse Gaara had fetched pushed past him carefully and respectfully, rushing to Sakura's side.

"Can you help me take them to the Hospital?" Sakura asked the woman, who was in her early thirties and had strong muscles from lifting patients every day.

She nodded and slid her hands under Shikamaru's middle, lifting with her knees very carefully. Gaara helped her hold him, both of them staggering beneath his weight.

Sakura, though slightly drained of chakra, picked up Temari with ease, using her enhanced strength to casually walk with the older, heavier woman in her arms.

She followed Gaara and the nurse out the door, looking down at Temari's battered, unconscious face, dread curling in her stomach.

How long did it take for this drug to kill people?

xxxxxxxx

Sakura pulled the white covers up to Temari's chin gently, wiping the other girl's damp forehead with a cloth. She heaved a sigh, looking at the two new patients in her ward. Shikamaru was silent now, though he still shook violently as though cold, despite his raging fever that Sakura had been unable to remove.

Gaara watched her place a hand on Shikamaru's forehead, her other hand clenching into a fist at her uselessness.

"Do you want to talk about something?" Sakura asked him without looking away from Shikamaru's face, her voice rough.

Gaara nodded, "Now, if you have time."

Sakura sighed again, feeling thoroughly useless. She followed him out into the hall, feeling reluctant to leave her friends lying there alone. She knew that Gaara would have placed an Anbu guard on watch, so she left them with only the slightest hesitation.

Gaara did not look good. There were large bags under his eyes and he was tense all over, his fingers drumming at his sides anxiously. He paced the length of the hallway and back as Sakura watched, running his fingers through his hair.

"What are their chances?" He asked finally, looking up with fear in his pale eyes.

"S-Slim," Sakura managed to reply despite the blockage in her throat and the grief in her heart, "If I don't find or make them an antidote."

Gaara's shoulders slumped.

"I can't let them die, Sakura." He said slowly, "I won't."

"You might not have a choice, Gaara." Sakura said softly.

Gaara thumped his fist against the wall, hard. "I said I _won't let them die_. You have to heal them. You need to save them, now. I cannot understand why you won't do it."

"It's not that I won't, Gaara," Sakura said helplessly, "I _can't_."

"You aren't trying hard enough." Gaara said harshly, "You healed Kankuro."

"Kankuro was different," Sakura snapped, finally losing her temper, "Shikamaru and Temari have been drugged by something I've never come across before. It won't react to my chakra. Whatever it is, it's hurting them both and I can't stop it!"

"I don't want them to die." Gaara said simply, so childlike in his pain and refusal to accept his sister and his friend's deaths that Sakura instantly felt sorry for losing her temper.

"I'm sorry, Gaara." Sakura said gently.

The sand cracked against the inside of the gourd on Gaara's back. Both he and Sakura watched as the gourd splintered slightly, allowing sand to pour out.

"Just run." Gaara said, turning away, his hand covering his face, "I can't control it."

"Gaara, you're in a hospital! I can't just leave you here like this!" Sakura protested, ignoring the familiar flicker of fear at the sight of the sand.

"I said run." Gaara said coldly, the sand inching its way towards her.

Um, hell no. Sakura gritted her teeth and grabbed him by the shoulders. Not while my patients are anywhere near you in a tantrum, she thought, annoyed.

"Your sister and your brother-in-law are in that room. They might be dying. There are people who are sick and in pain in this hospital, and the last thing they need is you blowing up in the hallway. I get that it hurts. I'm terrified of losing them too. But you can't buckle beneath this; you have to be strong for Temari and Shikamaru." Sakura said firmly, staring into Gaara's eyes.

The mention of them dying had pushed him over the edge, she could tell. His eyes widened and he fought her grip on his shoulders, "I won't let them die!" He snarled, and the sand rose up in response to his anger –

"Ojisan?" Akira's little voice came from the doorway.

He was clutching Kanae's skirt, peering fearfully around at Gaara.

The sand fell to the ground.

"Akira." Gaara said, horrified.

Kanae pushed the little boy a little further behind her protectively, looking frightened herself.

"I didn't mean to frighten you –" Gaara began to apologise, only for Akira to run off, Kanae chasing after him.

"Gaara…" Sakura said sadly.

He ripped himself out of her grip, hiding his face with his hand, "I'm a monster, aren't I?" He murmured.

"Gaara, wait…" Sakura said, dismayed.

He ignored her and walked out, Kazekage robes flowing out from behind him.

Sakura groaned. She glanced through the open door of Temari and Shikamaru's room, seeing them lie there silently, both as still as corpses. No wonder Gaara was finding it hard to deal with, denying any possibility that they would die and losing his temper so easily.

Hell, she was finding it impossible to deal with too.

xxxxxxxx

"Um, Haruno-san," A polite jounin popped his head into Shikamaru and Temari's room and addressed Sakura. She looked up from where she had been trying to cool down Temari.

"Yes?"

"Kazekage-sama is… well, he refuses to leave his room…" The jounin said, obviously reluctant to report Gaara's misbehaviour. The loyalty Gaara had inspired was admirable, especially considering the entire village used to hate him.

"Oh." Sakura frowned, walking over to the jounin, "Did you want me to talk to him?"

"If you wouldn't mind." The jounin said with a deep bow, "We are only worried because a few jounin have gone missing on a mission. They were high-ranking, and we knew the Kazekage would be worried… But when we told him, he said he needed time to himself and retreated to his room."

Sakura shook her head disbelievingly; at sixteen she had never thought her job would be to go sweet-talk the Kazekage out of his room.

It didn't take long to get to his flat but by the time she got there she was feeling cranky. The few hours she had spent in the hot, sick-tinged room with Temari and Shikamaru had left her sweaty and nauseous, and she was not in the mood for one of Gaara's infamous tantrums.

She knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

"Gaara, if you don't let me in, I'm going to either break down your door or start singing immoral songs about desire that Kakashi-sensei taught me!" She called out loudly. Gaara really hated those songs.

His door opened a crack, a slither of his face appearing, "Go away, Sakura."

"I've been informed you are neglecting your Kazekage duties." Sakura replied, "That's not like you."

"I am entitled to a break." Gaara said haughtily.

"Yes, but you hate breaks and you love work, so tell me. Is it Temari and Shikamaru?"

"It's everything," Gaara said heavily, "Everything is going wrong and I don't know what to do."

"Well, for starters… you could let me in."

Once she had finally persuaded Gaara to let her in, Sakura sat down on his settee and folded her arms.

"So, how did Temari end up in your office, anyway? Did Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke rescue them?" She asked curiously, having not had time to find out the details beforehand.

"Temari only managed to say a few things before she demanded I fetch you," Gaara replied, making himself and Sakura some tea to keep him busy, not wanting to sit down and feel idle, "But she didn't know what I was talking about when I referred to Hatake and the Uchiha, so I assume they did not find her. She told me that she managed to subdue her captors and broke out, saving Shikamaru on the way, though while they were separated he apparently sustained a severe wound in his stomach. She carried him out and through the desert for a few days, keeping him alive with bandages. She mentioned that they were assisted by several people, though she didn't recognise them. She stumbled into the Compound blindly, suffering the effects of the drug herself by that point, and could only concentrate on finding me. I have no idea how they entered the village undetected, but I believe the guards might have simply let her through upon recognising her."

"We should contact Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke to let them know they aren't needed anymore." Sakura pointed out.

"I've already done that," Gaara said, waving to a letter on his desk, "I'll send it in the morning."

"Temari is amazing." Sakura reflected, wishing she could have done the same when she had been captured so long ago.

"I've not been able to find out how they were captured or when, but it seems as though it was by a group of people, organised, and around about the same time we were attacked by assassins." Gaara said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, stirring the tea.

"If it was the same people, why wouldn't they simply kill them? Why keep them alive all this time?" Sakura frowned in confusion.

"Simple," Gaara handed her a cup of tea and sat next to her, "They failed to kill us. Suddenly Temari and Shikamaru were necessary – they had information on all of us. This group may have wanted to use them to get to us."

"But who are they?" Sakura sipped her tea.

"We don't have any leads. The assassination attempt was sloppy and poorly-planned, which suggests confidence and that they were new to this. My guess is that they are a newly-formed group, or that they are simply poor strategists. But they obviously want us all dead, for what reason, I do not know. At any rate, we should be more careful. They tried to kill Shika as well as you, which means they wanted to purge every one of us, not just me. I think that suggests an ideological motive. If it was purely political, they could have just tried to kill me. Without the Kazekage, the village is destabilised. But they tried to kill everyone who I am close to, all of my relatives and my staff. I think that might mean they wanted to get rid of the system Suna operates on, not just who leads it. It is as much an attack on Suna as it is on me," Gaara's expression was dark, "And I do not like threats to my village."

Sakura nodded, the tea soothing her worries and tension.

"I'm going to try to get help from Tsunade-sama to save Temari and Shikamaru," She said determinedly, "She's a master of antidotes, a lot better than I am. But it would be very useful to have a pure sample of the drug, not just blood samples from them. She could find out almost everything about it, even where it came from."

"If they come around, I'll ask them if they saw anything to do with the drug in particular. If this group really is cocky and inexperienced, they might have bragged about the drug in front of them."

"Good. And there's something you can do for me." Sakura said, smiling at him over her mug of steaming tea.

"What's that?" Gaara said warily.

"Get some sleep. You look exhausted." Sakura put a hand on Gaara's arm and examined his face, concerned.

He blushed and turned away, drinking deeply from his mug.

"I'll sleep when things stop going wrong." He shook his head.

"You can sleep while I work," Sakura said kindly, "I'll start researching drugs and how to treat them and I'll look into what happened to those jounin. OK?"

"I believe you need to sleep just as much as I do." Gaara said obstinately.

"Was that an invitation?" Sakura laughed.

Then promptly froze as her joking words registered their meaning in her mind.

She turned bright red.

Gaara's cheeks were flushed too, he leapt up from the settee as though scalded, slamming his mug down on the counter too hard with a resounding bang.

"Look, I-I'm sorry." Sakura said, flustered.

"I know you said I should wait for you," Gaara said, equally flustered and slightly angry, "But you don't make it easy sometimes. I've not touched you for four years, or anyone else, and you act so friendly, always hugging me and acting so affectionate, making jokes like _that_… How am I supposed to know what you want from me?"

"I didn't mean to –"

"I know. I think you should leave. I'm going to sleep," Gaara said, moving towards the bedroom, "Alone," He tossed back at her.

Sakura sat on his settee, confused and upset.

* * *

><p>Uh oh, Sakura's a tease!<p>

Shikamaru and Temari are back! *cue cheers*

But they're badly hurt and drugged! *groans*

Akira called Gaara 'Ojisan' because that is what The Omniscient Internet told me uncles are called in Japanese. Go figure.

Everyone's favourite genin team will appear in the next chapter! Well, they're my favourite genin team! And I love them all equally (though I'm unsure whether to ship AkakoxMasa or MasaxKisho, since they both have good chemistry XD).

Oh Kanae, you are so awkward and overly polite.

And no, Kankuro did not appear in this chapter despite his sister's remarkable reappearance.

Why? I forgot him and couldn't be bothered to squeeze him in XD

Sorry about the tiny chapter and the huge gap between this chapter and the last… I have too many stories :(

I am so very tired, sob, sob.

I have too many essays to do! I really should be doing them instead of this…

Never mind :)

**Quick poll take for fun: **Which character needs more scenes/lines/character development?

A) Shino

B) Tenten

C) MADARA/TOBI/MASKGUY, OMFG, I WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE! ~~~

D) Other! Let me know!


	6. Suspicion Blossoms

_To Sakura no Chiyu,_

_Word has got out that the Kazekage's sister and her husband are suffering from a sort of medical mystery. I thought to offer my services, as head of Konoha's own hospital, I have trained with the Hokage-sama extensively and I thought that perhaps, with our combined expertise, I could assist you in your quest to find out more about this new drug._

_I will travel to the Wana Inn at the border of Sunakagure, with the intent of staying there until we can arrange a meeting. I should be there within around three days._

_I look forward to seeing you,_

_Nakamura Rin._

Sakura read the letter quickly, a triumphant smile immediately spreading across her face. Perfect! Tsunade had taught this woman personally in the art of poisons and in Sakura's opinion, there was no one more qualified to help.

She looked across at the bed-ridden Temari and Shikamaru, whose conditions had stabilised but not gotten any better, and clutched the letter in her hand. She had already requested help from Tsunade, so this must have been her solution. It was very like Rin, however, to make out that assisting was her own idea. The woman was very absent-minded and erratic. Sakura was quite fond of her.

The messenger left after Sakura thanked him, and she quickly headed down to Gaara's office to explain where she was going. Judging by the date on Rin's letter, she was probably almost at the Inn. It would take another half a day to reach it, whereas Sakura could get there in about two hours, if she hitched a ride on a cart.

She was just hurrying to the Kazekage's office when a small, neat-looking woman stepped into her path, holding up some papers.

"Haruno-sama!" The woman called, "Today is the day that your genin team receive their first mission."

"What?" Sakura said blankly, staring at the woman, "But they aren't ready! You should have given me notice! Is this Gaa – um, the Kazekage's orders?"

"No," The woman admitted, "The Kazekage is still… recovering from the shock of his sister's condition. The Council, however, have decided to enlist your genins' help. A small village a few hours from here has been besieged by rockslides. They have no recorded shinobi population and they have already suffered casualties. We believe you could complete this mission alone, but we also think it best that you bring your team with you, seeing as your state in Suna is becoming less permanent every day."

The woman's smile had grown smug, and Sakura's blood boiled. So, the council wanted to throw her students into a disaster, did they? Sakura assumed that they were hoping her team would screw up and discredit her teaching abilities, thus giving her team over to a more… local jounin. Suna was hard and proud, and not terribly fond of foreign ninja. It had taken Sakura a while to fully ingratiate herself with the locals, but evidently she had enemies on the Council. Great.

If they were demanding she complete this mission, then she must. Sakura nearly growled in frustration, Nakamura Rin could be Shikamaru and Temari's last hope and now she would have to delay their meeting by another day, perhaps two.

Sakura swiped the papers from the smug woman's hands, giving her the pleasure of startling the older woman momentarily. She scanned the papers. Regular mission details… requests from the village for aid. Other shinobi had already been sent, Sakura and her team were required to help move the rocks and clear the village of debris. Marvellous.

"Thanks _so_ much for the mission." Sakura said, deadpan, before storming away from the still-smiling Council representative.

xxxxxxxx

Team Sakura were on their way in very little time, Kisho still stuffing bottles of water into his bag and Akako yawning, trudging along behind them. Masa decided he wanted to stride ahead of them, ignoring Sakura's warnings.

It was too hot and dusty to be walking, making the genin sullen and slow-moving, leaving Sakura exasperatedly trying to keep them going.

"So, Kisho, have you been practising healing?" Sakura asked casually, wiping her brow and peering into the distance. It looked like they didn't have far to go, dust was thick in the air from the more recent rockslides, making Sakura's mouth dry.

"I revived a fish, like you showed me," Kisho replied, clearly too tired and annoyed to make jokes, "But it died again after a minute."

Sakura nodded, "Don't worry. That's totally normal for your stage. You've progressed a little quicker than I did at your age, actually."

Kisho tried to hide his pleasure at the compliment. Masa snorted.

"Oh, Masa, how's the genjutsu going?" Sakura asked knowingly, fully aware that the proud little genin hated illusionary jutsu and cared only about taijutsu.

"It isn't." Masa said flatly, speeding up a little.

"Oi! Wait up." Sakura called out, more than a little irritated. She was stuck in the middle of this dusty wasteland, tired, sweaty and dirty, and this punk wanted to go on ahead?

"Masa! You little… urgh! Come back here –"

Sakura's exasperated shouts were cut off by Akako's squeak.

The jounin turned around sharply, kunai already in hand. Masa gave a shout from further up the path.

A man in white mask held Akako's arms painfully behind her body. Kisho was struggling against another man.

Sakura held up a fist, gathering chakra, on autopilot from the panic racing through her –

And screamed in pain, dropping to one knee and arching up in agony. Something – a seal, she thought blearily, a seal designed to eat her chakra in the most painful way. She got to her feet shakily, holding up her fist and aiming at the man holding Kisho.

Another one of them delivered a stunning blow across her back, knocking her to the ground. Kisho and Akako cried out.

Sakura managed to open her eyes and saw Masa stand in front of her fallen body, having obviously taken care of his own attacker.

"Who are you?" He asked slowly, kunai glinting in his hand.

The man holding Kisho's response was to fling a kunai at Masa's skull. The twelve year old managed to dodge just in time, but it was obvious his confidence was shaken.

Akako had started to cry as the man holding her arms back twisted them sharply.

Masa gave a cry of outrage and disappeared. Sakura looked upwards and saw him bearing down upon Akako's captor, kunai ripping through one of his arms.

Akako grimaced as the man's blood dripped on her. He shifted his grip to accommodate his injured arm and punched Masa in the face.

The boy could take a hit. He remained standing, spitting out some blood.

"Boy, you are outnumbered. There are two of us and one of you." The man holding Kisho said, his accent oddly neutral, no tell-tale inflections.

Sakura struggled to get to her feet, in pain and deprived of chakra. The sun bore down on her mercilessly as they all watched her shakily stand up.

"Two of us." Sakura corrected the man, ignoring the fact that her vision was rapidly disintegrating, "And there are three of you, not two."

The masked man fell silent at that. Finally, he looked up, mask gleaming in the light, and asked, "How did you know?"

"You all have shinobi tools but you are not shinobi," Sakura said weakly, her head beginning to hurt, "Someone sealed my chakra from afar before you three moved in to take out the kids."

"Well done." A guttural voice said from behind her. Whoever it was seized her arms in an incredibly strong grip. If Sakura wasn't bleeding, weak and left without chakra, she could have ripped herself out of the man's grip with nothing but a bit of chakra, but she was left hanging limply in his hands, furious at them and herself. Weak, she told herself scathingly, so weak your own genin are in danger.

The man threw her to the ground and stepped over her, heading towards Masa. Sakura saw panic flit across the boy's face as he stumbled backwards, clearly reading how powerful the man's chakra signature was.

"Hey," Kisho's voice cut through the tense silence, "Did you make that mask yourself?"

Masa looked around wildly, making a 'shut up' gesture at the other genin. Akako watched with fearful eyes.

The enemy shinobi stopped short, right in front of Masa, and looked at Kisho slowly.

"Did you say something, little insect?" He asked menacingly.

Sakura started to drag herself over to the enemy shinobi, blinded by pain, following the sound of his voice. This was not happening. She would not allow any of her genin to get hurt. Or worse.

"Yeah," Kisho said flippantly, "I was wondering if your mother knitted your evil outfit for you. A little stereotypical, no? All black? I mean, I get that it's slimming and all, but come on! Cliché!"

"Kisho, be quiet." Sakura managed to say hoarsely.

But he carried on, "And, like I said before, that mask must be homemade. It's so white and tacky. If I were you, I would have focused on evil-doer, not –"

But the shinobi had clearly had enough of Kisho's mouth, because he stood in front of him threateningly, towering over him.

Kisho's dark eyes flickered to Masa, and he mouthed, "Run!"

Sakura's stomach was churning in fear, Kisho had clearly just antagonised the man to save Masa, and now –

Kisho screamed in agony as the shinobi broke his leg.

Sakura felt her body tense all over as rage overtook her, the pain leaving her as her anger grew white-hot.

Masa leapt on the shinobi, driving his kunai in and out of the man's back, face twisted in fury.

Sakura forgot she was hurt, forgot she had no chakra and no weapons, she just ran to the first enemy she could see, rage fuelling her movements, and snapped his neck with her bare hands.

It was the one who had been holding Akako, he slumped to the ground, boneless, Akako leaping away from his corpse in disgust.

The shinobi shook Masa off and held him up, a kunai digging into the underside of his chin, leaving a vivid gash.

Sakura stopped dead. Kisho was on the ground, his face contorted in agony. Akako froze at the sight of her teammate with a kunai to his throat.

"All we want," The shinobi panted, his mask slightly cracked from Masa's brutal assault, "is you."

He nodded at Sakura, one hand gripping Masa's wrists and the other holding the kunai.

Sakura gritted her teeth. It was obvious they'd come for her, though they probably hadn't expected her team to be there.

"Akako," She said lowly, "Remember the day we met? I asked you a very important question. Can you answer it now?"

Akako was still crying. She looked at Sakura, her mouth screwed up in a grimace.

"Please don't hate me." She pleaded with her sensei, "Everyone hates me when they see."

"What's going on?" The shinobi demanded.

Akako raised her hands, shaking her hair away from her face.

The man who had been holding Kisho moved to grab Akako.

He imploded. It was the only word Sakura could use to describe the mess of blood and gore that erupted from where the man had stood.

Masa's blue eyes widened behind his glasses.

The shinobi dropped his kunai in shock, "What the –"

Sakura looked away as he met the same fate as the other.

Akako fainted.

Sakura held her in her arms as she stirred feebly.

"That was your kekkei genkai?" She asked, trying not to look at the bloody mess on the ground.

Akako shook her head, "Not kekkei genkai," She croaked, "Experiment."

xxxxxxxx

Sakura was pacing. Gaara watched her do it, a frown twisting his brow.

"Sakura, she'll be fine. She overexerted herself. That jutsu of hers obviously taxes the user." He said calmly.

"But that's just it!" Sakura replied, throwing up her hands, "She said it wasn't her kekkei genkai! It was an experiment!"

"Like Orochimaru's?" Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know! Maybe… maybe it was a technique she made up and that's why she called it an experiment!"

"Calm down." Gaara said, "Is that about what you saw? Akako's technique?"

"No – maybe, I don't know… It was just so sudden, and it came from my kindest, most gentle student… I just wasn't expecting it. I mean, I thought it would be a little gross, but I didn't know she could make people go BOOM." Sakura admitted.

Gaara sighed very quietly, folding his arms and looking at Akako's door. They'd been shut out whilst the nurses fussed over what was wrong with her.

Sakura had carried Kisho and Akako back after taking a soldier pill. She'd given one to Masa and he'd dragged the one surviving attacker behind them with his wires. It was the man who had originally attacked Masa and underestimated him.

When they'd burst through Suna's entrance, everyone had panicked upon seeing them all covered in blood, (Masa had the worst of it, seeing as his captor blew up whilst he was holding him), one of Sakura's genin moaning in pain in her arms, the other lying motionless over her shoulder.

As they'd ripped through the hospital, desperate to get help, Sakura had seen the smug Council representative smiling at her. It had filled her with dread at the sight.

"So, they came for you." Gaara said, looking thoughtful. She nodded. He looked as though he was seriously considering refusing to allow her to leave the village ever again, as he once had.

"But I –" Sakura began.

A nurse opened the ward door and peered around it, "Haruno-sama? Akako is awake now."

Sakura felt relief course through her – she'd been worried something had been wrong with Akako, maybe her jutsu was dangerous for the user, maybe she'd used it wrong…

She hurried after the nurse, Gaara following behind her.

Akako lay in the bed, looking very small and fragile. She looked up as Sakura approached her, and offered a sweet smile.

"Akako! You're alright!" Sakura beamed, giving her a quick hug, careful not to squeeze too tight in case she was injured somewhere.

"Of course," Akako replied, her smile slipping, "It's just… my body wasn't meant to be able to use that jutsu. So I feel sick afterwards."

Sakura paused, biting her lip. Then she perked up, tucking Akako's hair behind her ear, "At least you're OK now."

Akako's eyes were dull, "I'm lucky. Some people in my family died when they used this. Their bodies could not handle the strain."

Gaara came and stood next to Sakura, bending down to Akako's level, his hand on Sakura's shoulder, "What jutsu is this?" He asked, his pale eyes piercing as though daring her to lie.

"It doesn't have a name." Akako said, trying to smile, her lips trembling, "A man in my family, older than my father, I can't remember who he was… He experimented. He was clever. He experimented on my mother when she was pregnant with my sister. When my sister did not survive, he experimented on me to see if being older made a difference. It did. It worked. I could… kill people. But it hurt. I didn't want to use it. My family were grateful, they could now protect their village. But the village was not grateful. They thought it was sick and against nature. My family fought with the villagers. I did not want to fight. They told me I had nothing left but to fight. I left my family and I was found by a woman from Suna. I do not know her name. She brought me here. And I have lived here alone ever since."

Sakura gazed at her in wonder. How could she have not known about this? How?

Throwing caution to the wind, she threw her arms around Akako and pulled her to her.

Gaara watched her embrace the young girl with something like a smile on his lips.

xxxxxxxx

The next day Sakura was permitted to leave the village by a very reluctant Gaara. The only reason he allowed her to go was because she was trying to help Shikamaru and Temari.

"One hint of trouble," Gaara had said, his eyes intense and dangerous, "and you come home."

Sakura was worried, but not about being attacked. She had a feeling they would plan something more complex, since they had failed twice to kill – or capture – her. She was more concerned about her kids, Masa was surly and trying not to show his fear for his teammates, Kisho's leg was healed but still sore and Akako was weak.

It was still very early when Sakura set off, fully healed. Apparently she had broken the chakra seal when she had gotten too angry at Kisho's leg being broken, meaning though her chakra flow was still sluggish, it was no longer sealed away.

She sat on the back of a wooden cart, enjoying the mild morning sun on her face. The driver was a man delivering goods around the Land of Wind and he hadn't minded her hitching a ride, as long as she tossed him a tip for the privilege.

She wore her usual shorts, leaving her bare legs chafing against the wooden slats of the cart. Her feet bounced with every bump of the road.

She could run to the Inn quicker than this, but she suspected it would not even be open at this early hour and besides, after all the recent stress and worry, it was nice to have a time to relax.

Her palms smoothed against the rough wood as she lay back, pondering her meeting with Rin. She was a pleasant woman, if a bit dippy at times. But Sakura had genuine hope that this meeting would give her the answer.

Akira sat with his parents in silence every day, holding their limp hands. Sakura had looked in on him and had seen him crying, his little shoulders shaking. Shika seemed to believe Kanae was her mother. Suna was going on as usual, as though there was nothing wrong.

In the five years that Sakura had stayed in Suna, she, Shikamaru and Temari had become great friends. Though Temari and Sakura had opposing personalities, they knew each other so well that it didn't seem to matter. Sakura and Shikamaru used to play Shougi for hours, though Sakura preferred Go.

The rest of Suna would continue to go on without Shikamaru and Temari. But for Gaara, Kankuro, Akira and Shika, they'd be losing family. Their fragile little family, which had taken so much time to build, would end in that hospital room.

Not to mention the heart-breaking letters Shikamaru's mother continued to send, begging them to help her son. She had visited a few times, but had been too upset to stay very long. Shikamaru's father was just as upset as she was.

The thought of losing them spurred Sakura on. There would be no more 'if's and 'but's. There would only be definites. She would definitely save them.

After a while the driver stopped his cart and allowed her to get off.

She thanked him and gave him a generous tip. He'd been thrilled.

The Wana Inn was pleasant enough, built with red bricks and accentuated with blue flowers in the window sills. A large, creaking oak tree curled around the roof of the building, showering it with leaves. It made Sakura nostalgic for Konoha.

She knocked on the door lightly.

An old man opened the door and peered at her through thick glasses.

"Hello?" He said uncertainly, peering straight through her stomach, clearly unable to see her.

"Hi." Sakura said brightly.

He jumped about a mile, adjusting his glasses and blinking furiously.

"Um, come in, come in." He said, trying to retain some semblance of control, gesturing for her to follow him inside.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," Sakura told him, "Nakamura Rin. Is she here?"

"What? Oh. Nakamura-san? Over there." He pointed to a corner of the room, in which Rin was clearly sitting at a table, frowning at the breakfast menu.

Sakura grinned and made her way over to the table.

Rin saw her coming and beamed, "Ah! Sakura-san! Just in time! I am having trouble deciding… do I have eggs for breakfast, or do I have cereal? On the one hand, I am slightly cold, so the eggs would warm me up. On the other hand, cereal is a healthier, nutrient-based meal. Oh, decisions, decisions…" She fretted, bringing the menu very close to her face in order to peer at the words.

"Have porridge," Sakura said sagely, pointing at the menu.

Rin made a face, "Bleh… really? Oh fine. I'll have a side of _disgusting_ to really make it a meal to remember. Yummy. Oh, honestly, listen to me, babbling on about porridge when those poor people are drugged! So, I have brought a selection of antidotes, poisons, drugs, and a rather interesting powder I came across a few years back. Haven't the foggiest about what it does, hoping you'd know."

They ordered some drinks whilst they chatted.

Sakura was nodding and smiling when something caught her eye.

Kanae was sitting at a table near the door with an unfamiliar man, looking miserable. The man was gesturing violently; she flinched every time his hand went near her face.

"Give me a minute please, I just saw someone I know." Sakura said, smiling apologetically. Rin nodded absently, spilling the orange powder down herself by accident just as the drinks arrived.

Sakura headed over to Kanae.

"Kanae? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, surprised when Kanae jumped violently at the sound of her voice.

"Oh! Sakura! I was – I was just… um, this is my father." Kanae said, smiling weakly.

The man sitting opposite Kanae glared at Sakura, "So, you're the Konoha brat who has ensnared the Kazekage." He said, his tone openly hostile.

Kanae turned bright red, "Otou-sama! No, Sakura, that wasn't what I said to him…"

Sakura raised one eyebrow at the man and, without a word, turned on her heel and walked away from him.

Ensnared the Kazekage my arse, Sakura thought angrily. I'm not some Konoha she-devil who has bewitched Gaara!

By the time she sat back down opposite Rin she was fuming.

"Oh! Sakura-san, you're back, marvellous. I've been having brainwaves in your absence and I was thinking, what if," She said enthusiastically, spreading her hands out wide, "what if the drug was a mixture of something we have already examined? So I've been mixing some, though it looks as though I spilt the first attempt, curses, those were my favourite shoes…"

Sakura took a sip of her drink and tried to keep up with Rin's rambling. She'd had a horrible feeling it was no good. Rin obviously had no idea about the drug and was just here for a nice chin-wag.

How dare Kanae's father say that to her? How dare he? The very idea that she'd… ensnared Gaara somehow… Yes, he was in love with her, _five whole years ago_, but that didn't mean she'd used some evil trick or something. Besides, at twenty years old, except for that mishap with Sakura's accidental flirting, Gaara had shown no interest since. He had clearly moved on.

Sakura suddenly realised she was swaying, and Rin's voice was fading away. She was sweating.

"Rin… what's wrong with me?" She slurred, gripping the table to stop herself falling to the floor.

Rin smiled, "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Sakura felt numb. "It was you. You put s'thing 'n my drink…"

"Yep!" Rin said cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

There was a crashing sound as Sakura fell, dragging the table down with her.

As she lay on the ground, feeling the poisoned drink dripping on her leg, her numbed face turned upwards and saw Rin approaching her.

"Oh, are you alright? How could you have gotten so drunk this early in the morning?" Rin exclaimed, sounding partly concerned, partly chastising.

The older woman came closer, hands outstretched as though to help her up, a wicked-looking needle hidden in her sleeve.

"I'll take care of you…" Was the last thing she heard before her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious, barely registering the sting of metal entering her neck.

* * *

><p>I quite liked Rin. Shame.<p>

Questions will be answered in the next chapter :)

Akako's 'kekkei genkai' revealed. I call it blowy-blowy-BOOM-no-jutsu!

Kanae's daddy is mean.

For anyone bothered by Rin being able to poison Sakura's drink without her noticing, Tsunade was noted for her ability to create undetectable, untraceable poisons that even ninja couldn't sense. It's how she drugged Jiraiya. Rin worked with Tsunade with poisons…

**Quick poll for fun:** What is the worst book you have ever read?

No suggestions :)


	7. Explosion Blossoms

"She's waking up." A feminine voice piped up. Rin, Sakura thought absently, wondering why her head hurt so much.

"Finally," A man's crisp, impatient voice said, "Nakamura, did the dosage really have to be so high?"

"She's a shinobi," Rin replied, loathing twisting her words, "They aren't like normal people. You saw what happened with the girl from Suna."

Sakura's eyes flickered open slowly. Her head was pounding. She wanted to move her arms to steady herself, but they wouldn't respond to her brain's requests. After a fuddled moment in which she worried she no longer had arms, she looked down and saw they were tied to a chair.

She was… tied to a chair?

She looked up sharply, the dizziness not quite deserting her.

She was in a large building made of wood, possibly an old factory, judging by the assembly lines. Bags and barrels of flour and grain lay dotted about in abandoned piles. Perhaps they were in some kind of mill?

She was surrounded.

There were people standing all around her, most of them looking her way, sneering when they noticed her befuddled gaze.

Rin was standing near a large, muscled bald man. She was whispering something in his ear. He nodded once, eyes on Sakura.

At the sight of Rin, Sakura automatically thought 'bitch' and was then confused until she remembered. The events leading up to her capture came flooding back to her in a rush of images.

She groaned, leaning sideways in the chair, spitting. There was a sour taste in her mouth. Her stomach was churning.

"Feeling a little rough?" Rin said with a tinkly little laugh.

"Fucking bitch," Sakura slurred, "You fucking treacherous cow. You betrayed Konoha."

Rin made a mock-surprised face, hands raised, "Whoops! Yep. You should have checked your drink."

The older woman walked up to Sakura, her jacket clearly bulging with bottles of poisons and drugs.

The bald man stepped forward, "Sakura-san. Is it possible I might have a word?"

"A word?" Sakura rolled her head around her neck, trying to regain her thoughts, "You can have a fucking word, dick. Do you really believe I'll tell you anything? I was kidnapped and tortured by Akatsuki. At least they had some fucking class."

"Somehow I thought she would be more reasonable," The man said to Rin with a grimace.

He gave a nod to someone behind her.

Something hit her head with stunning force. She gasped, her vision going white as pain throbbed through her skull.

"There," The bald man said, "We don't want unpleasantness, do we? No. So, if you simply cooperate, you won't get… hurt." He phrased delicately, smiling.

Sakura waited for the pain to ease, and nodded carefully to show she would cooperate.

His smile grew wider.

"Sakura-san, you have probably already figured out that we are the organisation behind the attacks on Suna's officials. Assassins entered the Kazekage Compound and attempted to murder the Kazekage, his family, and his staff. They were, unfortunately, not successful. However, we managed to lure Shikamaru-san and his wife to a false mission, where they were ambushed. We tortured them and tested our new drugs on them –very effective on the male, not so much the female – in an attempt to get more information on the Kazekage. Neither of them spoke a word. The male spoke in riddles to infuriate his torturers and the female spat at anyone who came near her. The wife, Temari-san, managed to escape, taking her husband with her. That was yet another setback. Most recently, a few of my men attacked you. Since you walked into Rin's trap the next morning, we assume you killed them." His smile grew wider and wider even as he mentioned his plan's failures.

"You have encountered two of my spies, Sakura-san. Nakamura, here, is the head of Konoha's hospital, and thus controls who lives and who dies in that village. She is a vital asset. But, can you remember the first? You met her a few years back, in that backwards hospital in Suna."

Sakura's eyes widened.

He chuckled.

"You may know her as 'Michiko.'" He explained, "She was working undercover in Suna's main hospital when you first came to the village. Unfortunately, she was discovered, and consequently we believe she was executed. This was the plan, Sakura-san. To have control over every main village's hospital. A Head of each hospital under our control. Nakamura controls Konoha. Michiko would have controlled Suna. A few spies have been implanted in other hospitals as well, to spread our influences across the lands of Wind and Fire. It may seem like a humble dream at first, but think of this: When a village's high-ranking ninja come to the hospital, injured, and you have the choice of whether they live or die? _That_ is influence. _That _is power. So many jounin and others have died because they didn't _fit_ into our new world."

Rin was nodding, still smiling that infuriating smile.

Sakura's mind was racing.

"Ninja," The bald man boomed, spreading his hands out wide, "are a blight. They control every aspect of the average civilian's life. They have inhuman abilities. Dangerous 'Kekkei Genkai.' People live in fear that a shinobi will one day enter their home in the night and there isn't a force in this world that could stop them. No ordinary lock can keep a shinobi out. Ordinary people die every day because they are attacked by fire-wielding shinobi, or they are unfortunate enough to get caught in their traps. My men's lives have been ruined by shinobi. When shinobi go to war, who is it that suffers as a result? The ordinary man in his home, hiding from the rampaging monsters. Villages are controlled by shinobi. Not ordinary people, shinobi. We believe this is wrong. We are willing to make sacrifices to achieve a new world order, in which the everyday man can speak up for himself without fearing his 'Kage' will have him killed. No more shinobi dictatorships."

Sakura had the feeling this insane man gave this same speech often, because his voice had a rhythmic pattern to it, as though the words had been tasted and practised before.

"We were uncertain as to what to do with you, Sakura-san. If you did not survive the attacks, then it would be clear you were too weak to survive the new world order. However, if you _did_ live, and made it to the meeting with Rin, we believed you could potentially be of great use. This plan could not be achieved without the considerable talents of many medical-based shinobi. Nakamura here is a civilian, but she is also a poisons expert. Michiko was a medic nin, like yourself. Healers, we value. Not killers. To have Sakura-no-Chiyu amongst our ranks," He beamed, "What a boon that would be! Not only that, but you are Suna's Senior Nurse. It has also been reported that you have considerable influence upon the Kazekage. We knew you could finally reveal his weaknesses. I cannot tell you how pleased I am that you are here."

"So," Sakura managed to say after several moments of speechless silence, "Let me get this straight. You tried to kill me several times. When that failed, you decided to recruit me. All this after you tried to kill my Kazekage, my friends, even their children? And you thought that by giving me a big speech about how evil shinobi were, you could persuade me to join you, despite the fact that I am a shinobi and thus, according to you… _evil_. Well, that was pretty fucking stupid."

The person behind her moved to hit her again, and she dodged, having sensed the blow coming a long way off.

In one wrenching movement, she ripped her wrists and ankles free of the ropes and stood up.

The bald man took a step back.

She stalked over to Rin, inwardly marvelling none of them had the courage to make a grab for her. Oh they were all for a game of Let's Poke the Shinobi when she was safely tied up, but they were all backing away now…

She grabbed the woman by the throat.

"Give me the antidote to the drug you used on Temari and Shikamaru. I know you must have been the one who created it." She hissed.

"There is no antidote!" Rin choked out, grabbing at Sakura's hands weakly.

Sakura shook her violently, "Then give me a sample of the drug. Now. And don't give me something else, I will know."

Rin's eyes were bulging in terror. She reached into her pocket and drew out a vial of colourless liquid.

"Thanks," Sakura smiled.

As she threatened Rin, the bald man had disappeared. Smarter than he looked.

"A quick lesson," Sakura said, her grin savage. She couldn't believe none of them were trying to restrain her, not even Rin. They were all staring at her in shock, as though she, an escaped shinobi, was a thing of their nightmares set free, "We are in a mill. There is a lot of flour and grain here. Watch what an evil shinobi like me can do with one kunai and a piece of paper."

With a flash of chakra and a puff of smoke, Sakura summoned an explosive tag and a kunai.

"You wouldn't," Rin said faintly, "It would kill you too."

"Not me," Sakura grinned, "I'm too much of a monster to die like that. You should probably start running now."

She threw the kunai and jumped through the nearest window, crashing the glass painfully.

"Boom," She muttered, falling to the ground and activating the tag.

The explosion decimated the mill factory and threw her into the air, coming crashing down on the burning sand, breaking so many bones in the fall she felt shock seep in and cushion her from the pain.

The mill was a smouldering wreck by the time she managed to push herself up slightly. The Yin Seal on her forehead burned, spreading. She felt the wounds on her face close first, stinging and dripping blood wildly. Her shoulder next, a large bone broken cleanly in two was healed slowly. A few of her organs had ruptured. Her pelvic bone was smashed completely.

By the time the Yin Seal had done its work, Sakura was on her feet, wiping the blood off her face and turning to survey the wrecked mill.

As she did so, she was rushed by ten men and one woman.

They came clumsily from the west, making far too much noise to be mistaken for shinobi. Sakura was ready for them when they came screaming war cries, incensed at the destruction of their base.

Sakura ducked a clumsy punch and crushed a man's trachea whilst kicking another so hard he flew through the air and hit the ground with a sickening crunch. The woman tried to claw at her face, so Sakura slammed her knee into the woman's throat.

She spent the next minute ducking and dodging, felling her enemies with one blow apiece.

By the end of it her chakra had been restored enough to reform the Yin Seal.

The eleven enemies all on the ground in varying states of health (or lack thereof), Sakura looked around to see if there were any clues as to where she was.

First, she looked down at her arms. The Yin Seal had not bothered to heal the tiny track marks left by several needles. The Seal obviously could not stop the drug's affects either, as Sakura had begun to shake.

She put the vial safely in her belt pocket, amazed they'd left it on her. They were genuinely stupid, she realised. Gaara had been right. They were fanatical, but completely thick as shit.

They'd also underestimated her. Pity.

Now to find the bald man.

She followed his tracks in the sand for about a mile, enjoying the fact that he was unwittingly leading her to civilisation. He must be familiar with the area as it was his base of operations, so he would logically try to head to the nearest village.

She found him struggling through the hot sand, a blur of a distant village on the horizon.

She dropped down in front of him. He gasped and shot backwards, falling onto the sand.

"Hi," She smiled politely, holding a kunai to his neck, "Is there a cure for the drug?"

He shook his head, sweating, obviously terrified.

Sakura knocked him unconscious and hauled him on her back. It would have been nice to just drag him behind her but she couldn't risk killing him by accident. Torture might loosen his tongue, and save Shikamaru and Temari.

And save herself, Sakura thought grimly. The drugs were racing through her system at this point. Just how much had Rin injected her with? More than Temari, she was willing to bet.

It was becoming difficult to walk. The man's weight was an immense pressure on her back, making every step difficult. Not only that, but she was also shaking more and more as the minutes ticked by.

She was panting now, the heat of the setting sun still enough to burn the back of her neck. The pain had started. It was burning up and down her arms.

She understood. They'd given her a high dose because they expected her to agree quickly and if she didn't, they would leave her to die from the drug. That meant the drug did have an antidote, and that bitch Rin had been lying.

Sakura's vision blurred and suddenly the ground was rising upwards and she was crushed.

She had fallen on the ground with the bald man still on top of her, crushing the breath from her lungs.

The sand was too hot.

She managed to push him off and rolled onto her back.

Her mind was working sluggishly. She pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into the bald man's shirt, pinning him to the ground. She could only think about stopping him from running.

Then her limbs went weak and her eyes closed abruptly, the sky turning dark blue as the sun finally set.

xxxxxxxx

Her arms were dragging on the sand.

She opened her eyes, her mouth gaping open.

Gaara was kneeling beside her, holding her in his arms, her head lolling on his shoulder. He stared into her face for a long time.

Someone passed him a flask and he slowly poured water into her mouth. It dribbled down her chin.

She tried to speak, water pouring over her cheek when her mouth moved.

He shushed her gently.

She realised she was lying across his lap. The Kazekage himself was kneeling in the sand, one arm around her back, the other underneath her head.

His pale eyes were burning with angry intensity.

"G-Gaara." Sakura managed to say, her voiced garbled, "Gaara."

"Don't apologise to me again." He warned her. His eyes slowly, reluctantly, moved down to the needle marks in her arms, and his face crumpled.

"The drug," He said hollowly, "They drugged you."

Sakura's mouth worked furiously as she tried to get her words out, still shaking violently, "Belt, B-belt," She murmured, "In my belt. Drug."

Gaara searched her belt quickly and grabbed the vial. He stared at it in wonder.

"So, Sakura," He said, his voice low. It sounded beautiful to Sakura, "Tell me. Did you really just escape, blow up the base, drag the leader out with you and grab the drugs on your way out? You are incredible."

In fact, as Gaara spoke, Sakura felt herself noticing things about him for the first time. Things she had taken for granted.

His beautiful face.

His amazing, shimmering pale green eyes like two precious stones set in his face.

His pale, creamy skin.

The love kanji on his forehead. How appropriate, how beautiful…

"Love you, Gaara." Sakura smiled vaguely up at him, her face very close to his.

His eyes widened, and she saw pain flash across his face, "Do not say that to me. You are delirious. You don't mean it."

Sakura sighed, then felt something deep within her chest jolt. She jolted upwards with the movement, nearly colliding with Gaara's face. She coughed once and blood sprayed out of her mouth.

"It hurts… It hurts Gaara, it hurts…" She whined, panting.

Gaara grew panicked visibly.

"Medic nin!" He shouted, gesturing at someone behind him, "Get here now!"

A woman came and stood next to Sakura, kneeling down at once when she saw the state she was in.

"Chie-san," Sakura spluttered, "Help me. Help. Oh God, it hurts!"

The older woman spread her hands over Sakura's chest and she realised it wasn't Chie after all, it was a smaller, younger woman.

Sakura lay in Gaara's lap, green chakra flickering across her chest, shuddering and crying.

He held her hand tightly while the woman worked on her, stroking his thumb across her palm comfortingly as she cried and shook.

"Nakamura Rin," Sakura slurred, "She was a traitor. Killed her. Other spies. Hospitals."

"The Hokage will be informed." Gaara replied quietly, not ceasing his stroking motions as Sakura's shaking calmed down.

"The only people who could heal all of this internal damage are the Hokage and Sakura herself." The nurse commented.

Gaara scowled.

"Then quickly, we'll head to Suna. Send a messenger to get the Hokage to meet us there. She will survive the trip, yes?" He demanded.

The nurse faltered. She shrugged, "If anyone could, it would be Sakura-no-Chiyu."

"It's dark, Gaara." Sakura whispered.

"No," Gaara shook his head firmly. Sakura felt a vague sense of amusement buried deep beneath the pain and delirium. Only Gaara would argue that it was day when it was night.

Sakura's eyes met Gaara's, tears spilling down her cheeks as the nausea in her stomach churned violently, "I want to go home."

"We're going now, don't worry." Gaara smoothed her hair away from her face.

"No," Sakura didn't dare shake her head, "Konoha. Miss my mum. It hurts."

Gaara drew back. In her fuddled state, she couldn't read the emotion in his eyes. It looked almost like sadness.

"Fuck!" A voice suddenly exclaimed and someone threw themselves messily to the sand next to Gaara and Sakura.

"And the Konoha escort has arrived," A Suna jounin remarked dryly.

"Fuck," The voice breathed again and Sakura turned her head to see who it was. It was Sasuke, who was staring at her, aghast, "What the fuck happened?" He demanded, glaring at Gaara, who did not look happy. At all.

"Sasuke." Sakura said, smiling. She reached out with one weak arm, and brushed his cheek with her hand.

Gaara snatched her hand out of the air and held it to his chest as though it was something precious.

Sasuke's glare turned murderous.

Sakura smelt a familiar doggy scent.

Pakkun put his paws on her chest. Kakashi came into view, his eye bright with fear for her.

"Kakashi-sensei." She said lethargically.

"Her pupils are huge," Kakashi remarked, feeling her forehead, "She's got a fever."

The Suna medic nin withdrew her hands from Sakura's chest suddenly.

"She'll make the journey." She declared, "She's strong."

"Then hurry up." Gaara commanded, "We are leaving _now."_

Kakashi put his hands out to offer his services in carrying Sakura, but Gaara pulled her to his chest sharply and stood up, brushing past the copy nin.

Kakashi gave Sasuke a significant glance. He scowled in response.

"Kazekage-sama, someone _else_ can carry Haruno-sama," A chuunin said urgently, "She is covered in blood and you should not lower yourself –"

"I will do as I please." Gaara snapped at him, "And it pleases me to be the one to carry her."

He stormed off, ignoring the confused and angry looks the rescue party shot him.

Sakura watched the shadows dance on Gaara's angry, pale face, looking up at him from below. She was swaying gently with every step, and it was almost like being lulled to sleep by her mother.

"I do love you, Gaara." She yawned and closed her eyes.

Gaara's eyes softened and he tightened his hold on her as he sped through the desert.

xxxxxxxx

Temari was being sick.

Sakura could hear the older girl cursing, could hear the familiar sound of vomit splashing in a hospital bowl.

She rolled over and opened her eyes.

She was in a bed that had been hastily squeezed in between Shikamaru and Temari. Bandages covered her chest. She could see stitches along her collarbone where an expert hand had sewn her back together after an operation.

Then it hit her like a brick, _Temari was awake_.

She turned so fast her head spun.

Temari was whiter than a sheet and she'd spilled vomit on her hospital gown, but her eyes were clear and lucid as she stared at Sakura.

"Yo." She raised a hand, wiping her mouth.

Tears came to Sakura's eyes.

She put her foot on the floor carefully, wincing at the cold tiles. She was a little shaky and felt sick, but her legs could support her weight.

She crossed the tiny space between her bed and Temari's and pulled the older girl into a hug, avoiding the vomit stains.

"You're awake." Sakura breathed out in wonder.

"Yep," Temari said with forced cheer.

"How am I awake?" She wondered out loud.

"Hell if I should know." The girl shrugged and extricated herself from Sakura's loving embrace.

It didn't make sense.

Shikamaru and Temari had gone into comas after surviving the drugs rupturing their organs.

There was one big difference Sakura could think of.

She had spilt a lot of blood after that explosion.

A purge.

That was how she would save them all.

* * *

><p>OK.<p>

Grain, apparently, can be blown up with a single spark. An explosive tag plus grain equals _boom._

Michiko was mentioned in the second chapter of Desert Scar. She was caught poisoning high-ranking officials. I always planned to have that become significant later one, with this organisation being the main baddie in Desert Scar, but the Akatsuki plot took all the room, so I had to wait till now to implement it.

Sakura's Yin Seal is mentioned in the first chapter of Desert Scar, and has only just become relevant.

Her ability to summon explosive tags was also mentioned in the first chapter of Desert Scar.

Man, was this chapter a bitch to write.

D'awwww, Sakura sort of confessed to Gaara! Even though she was delirious and in pain. Will Gaara accept it as real? Did Sakura even mean it? Who knows?

I do XD

Goodnight my dear Blossoms, I'm off to bed!

**Quick poll for fun: **The character you'd most like to give a hug?

A) Sasuke

B) Itachi

C) Gaara

D) Other! Let me know!


	8. Trouble Blossoms

Though her legs were shaky and she still felt a bit like throwing up everywhere, Sakura managed to grab the jug of water on the tray next to her bed.

Temari watched, eyebrows raised, as Sakura began to drink the whole lot in one go, tipping the metal jug up as far as her weak arms would allow.

"Thirsty?" Temari asked, putting the bowl of vomit on the floor carefully to avoid spilling it, wiping her mouth and grimacing, "I could do with a bit of that."

Sakura replaced the now empty jug on the tray, gasping, her mouth and chin wet, "What, you aren't thirsty?"

"Not really." Temari grimaced, lying back down on the bed, "I just want to sleep."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Dunno, couple of hours? Gaara's not been in yet, but he's been busy rushing around looking important, you know how he is… I did see him when he brought you in, but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I don't think he noticed I was awake."

"You saw him bring me in?" Sakura asked, careful to keep her voice casual.

She wasn't fooling anyone. Temari smirked, "Yep, holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world, snapping at anyone who tried to take you away from him, putting you down, very, very gently on the bed and staring at you for a full minute before reluctantly leaving. Was that what you wanted to hear, little Miss I'm-So-Not-In-Love-With-My-Boss? Well, it's the truth."

Sakura coughed awkwardly, ignoring the pleasure she felt at the thought of Gaara caring so much about her.

She looked to her right.

Shikamaru lay motionless in the bed next to her, his lips pale and dry, his eyes closed. His chest was rising and falling slowly and steadily.

Still alive.

Thank God.

"Has he woken up yet?"

Temari sighed, her thin shoulders slumping down, "No."

"It must… I don't know, work faster or affect males greater than females. He should wake up soon now that you have." Sakura said with more confidence than she felt. It worked, Temari managed a small smile.

"I think to cure this," She said, looking down at her wrists where blue veins were clearly visible, "We have to drink lots of water. I got most of the drugs out of my system when I bled it out, but I don't advise that at all for you two… Hmm… Heat, probably… yes, we'll sweat it out. We need to eat lots of vegetables and fresh food, nothing fattening. And exercise, every day."

"So, it's curable?" Temari asked, looking as though she didn't dare hope.

Sakura sighed, "I don't know. There might be long-lasting effects…"

If she was honest, she was worried about Shikamaru. He'd been stabbed in the stomach, surely the act of losing all of that blood would have affected him the same way it affected Sakura? The drugs should have left his system, or at least most of it should have… What kind of drug affected males more than females? That didn't make sense…

The door inched its way open slowly, the light from the hallway creeping into the hospital room.

Gaara, bags under his eyes like they had been carved into his face, one hand on the door handle, the other shielding his eyes from the harsh hospital lighting.

Sakura's mouth dropped a little open, her empty stomach suddenly doing flips, suddenly seeing Gaara for the first time in maybe four or five years, like she had on that first day of meeting him again.

Half of him cast in shadow, the other lit up, his eye glowing bright green, his face hard and yet soft, the expression tender but filled with worry, a mass of contradictions and beautiful comparisons, and Sakura's never been much of a writer but even she could write poetry about Gaara.

It's just the near-death experience, she thought to herself rather desperately as Gaara closed the door behind him, she was exhilarated at not being dead and this… this weird feeling was just an emotional transfer. That was it.

He flicked on the light and looked at his sister and assistant, both awake and alive –

And then Sakura was clumsily climbing down from the bed and stumbling toward him and he was rushing forward, arms spreading outward, long sleeves flapping and they met in the middle, Gaara's arms hugging so hard around her waist it actually hurt, Sakura's hands clasping Gaara's neck, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears slipped messily down his back, breathing in his usual scent and feeling relief and a little like she was finally _home._

She registered that Gaara was mumbling something again and again, "I'm so glad you're OK, please don't disappear again, please…"

"I won't," She promised, face pressed against his shoulder, "I won't."

"I'm awake too." Temari pointed out dryly.

"Oh," Gaara said sluggishly, moving backwards, his hands releasing Sakura's waist. His expression was sheepish, "Are you OK, Temari?"

His older sister smirked, "Oh, me? I'm fine, just fine. Just waiting for my hug."

Gaara, more uncertain now, slowly went to his sister's bedside and stiffly put his arms around her neck. She sighed and grabbed his waist with weak, shaky hands.

"Crap at hugs," She muttered with a grin, "Always have been. I've missed you."

Gaara let out a wavering breath and his mouth tightened, "You – you too, Temari."

"And Kankuro?" She asked, looking at the door as though she expected him to walk through any second.

"I don't know," Gaara said blankly, "He might be with the kids –"

"Oh God," Temari cried suddenly, her face screwing up, "_My kids."_

"They're fine, Kanae's been helping, don't worry –" Sakura tried to say soothingly but Temari pushed herself off of the bed.

"Who the fuck is Kanae? Let go of me, Gaara, my kids, Akira, Shika, I haven't seen them, I only gave birth to Shika less than a year ago and I haven't seen her so _get the fuck out of my way."_ Temari spat, barely holding back the tears.

Shikamaru's face twitched as Temari's voice grew louder.

"I'll get Kanae to bring them back," Gaara assured her, "She's the babysitter. She'll take them here soon, I promise."

Temari sighed deeply, wiping her eyes and sitting back down on the bed.

"This Kanae better be a fantastic babysitter." Temari grumbled.

"She is." Kankuro said happily from the doorway.

The two siblings looked at each other, a deep, familial connection between them that made Kankuro jump on Temari's bed and pull her into a bear hug, laughing the whole time.

"Careful." Gaara warned, though his mouth was twitching into a smile.

"You did it, Sakura." Kankuro said, his grin brilliant and ridiculously happy.

"What, get captured again?" Sakura laughed.

"You got a sample of the drug!" Kankuro said delightedly, "Guess who's going to examine it the moment it arrives in Konoha? Go on, guess!"

"Tsunade-sama." Sakura grinned.

"You bloody genius!"

Kankuro and Temari talked for a while, about the state of Suna's finances (fine, since Gaara's had revealed he had a good head for figures and worked himself into the night every day to make up for his unofficial accountant, Shikamaru being indisposed), about Kanae's trustworthiness (Kankuro maintained she was, in his words, a totally awesome babysitter) about Gaara's health (ignoring Gaara's protests that he was totally fine, Kankuro told Temari he hadn't slept in three days).

"When you two have quite finished," Gaara said stiffly, "Sakura has more well-wishers to deal with."

Was it her imagination, or was there a touch of bitterness in his tone?

He jerked his head towards the door Kankuro had left open.

Kakashi and Sasuke stood guard either side of the doorway, Sasuke's hands on his kunai holster, Kakashi's casually held behind his back. Sakura could see the edge of Sasuke's face, the cheekbone and round ear, the long, pale neck. His head was half-turned their way.

"New additions to Suna," Gaara said tetchily, "Can't get rid of them. Going to have to pay them for their services. Unwanted, yet expensive."

"Expensively good hearing." Kakashi commented, not looking around.

"With disrespectful mouths." Gaara shot back. Sakura couldn't miss the way Sasuke's hands balled into fists.

"Gaara." Sakura said sharply, shooting him a quelling look, "Is everything alright?"

Sasuke shifted on the spot, his stance going into a little looser and yet more hostile. He was ready for a fight, judging by the aggressive body language and the way he kept shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Everything is adequate." Gaara said shortly, his eyes flickering over her quickly, "Those two insisted on guarding your room. You have two other visitors."

He snapped his fingers at Sasuke, "Let them in."

Sasuke, grinding his teeth so hard it had to hurt, moved out of sight to beckon in the visitors.

Kisho, leaning on Akako and beaming, tripped into the room.

"Sakura-sensei!" He yelled happily, "You didn't die!"

"Nope, not yet." Sakura smiled, standing up to offer her kids a hug.

Akako was still wearing a hospital gown, though Kisho wore his own clothes and had only a slight limp. Sakura allowed herself a flicker of worry – was Akako so ill she'd been forced to stay in hospital for so long?

But Akako was already explaining, "The nurses said I was underweight so they won't let me go home. It isn't fair…"

Kisho nudged her, winking, "You just need filling out, Akako."

Kankuro's mouth twisted around itself as he tried to prevent his smirk from escaping. Temari glared at him.

"So, you two are part of Sakura's genin team?" She asked, pushing Kankuro away after getting bored of his newfound cuddly nature – either brought on by worry for his sister or Kanae's influence.

The two of them nodded, looking slightly awed at being in the same room as the Kazekage himself and his sister.

"Is Masa OK?" Sakura asked anxiously.

The genin shrugged, clueless. Akako looked as worried as Sakura felt.

"As far as we know, he's not set foot in the hospital," Gaara said, "He didn't show up to collect his wages. His father did it for him. He said Masa was upset."

"Upset?" Sakura chewed her bottom lip, patting the two genin on the heads absently as they crowded round her, "About what happened on the mission?"

"Well, one of his teammates broke a leg and the other was hospitalised. Straight after you left the village you were kidnapped and gone for three days… I can see why he would be upset."

Kisho raised an eyebrow. Sakura knew what he was thinking. Masa didn't seem to care about any of them, though Sakura knew it wasn't really the case, especially after he fought to defend them on his own. The kid had a hard exterior, but Sakura believed that, like Sasuke, he kept his feelings hidden.

Masa looked so little and vulnerable in Sakura's eyes – what with his blonde hair, glasses and all of the cuts and bruises he had from the fights he got into all the time.

Kisho, despite his poor taijutsu and witty personality, was actually the toughest genin on Sakura's team. He had been taking care of his mother all on his own for years. He was prepared to lie and cheat to get his way. He would do _anything_ to protect his mother, according to his file. He was a survivor rather than a fighter, which would be useful if he did become a medic eventually.

Akako was the kindest. She was also emotionally fragile and weak. Sakura intended to focus on improving her strength, maybe see if she could inherit the patented monstrous strength. She didn't like the fact that Akako only fought because she felt she had nothing else to do. She knew exactly what to do there.

"Gaara, can I have a word in private?" Sakura asked abruptly, feeling Akako's little hand curl into her hospital gown.

Gaara ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Sakura's bed as though contemplating commanding she stay in it for the rest of her natural life.

"Please." She sent him a look that silently begged him to do her this one favour.

He stared at her intently, naked brows raised slightly, his head tilted. His eyes flicked across the hospital bed once more before he sighed and gestured for her to follow him with one sharp hand movement.

Sakura flicked Kisho's nose, grinning at his outrage, and then gestured for Akako to follow her. The younger girl looked confused, but followed all the same. Kisho sat on Sakura's bed and started playing with the unused IV, an amused grin on his face. Temari was staring at him, unimpressed. Kankuro immediately struck up a conversation with him.

Sakura stepped back to let Akako leave the room, then quietly closed the door behind them. She was amazed by just how fine she felt, despite what she'd been through. She believed it was the combination of using the Yin Seal to heal every wound (possibly purging some if not all of the drugs quicker), and the fact that over the years she had built up her body's defences to poison and other manmade concoctions by immunizing herself. Not that that would do much against an expert like Rin, of course.

"Akako, would you mind standing further down the hall for a second, please? I just need to speak with the Kazekage." Sakura bent down to Akako's level and smiled at her.

While Akako obediently wandered down the hall, Sakura turned to Gaara with a smile, but he was staring over her shoulder.

"Sakura, have you forgotten your poor sensei and teammate?" Kakashi's dry voice came from behind her.

"Oh! Oh right!" Sakura whirled round and obliged the two grumpy-looking jounin with a grin, "Is it totally inappropriate to hug you while you're on duty?"

"Yes." Gaara said disdainfully.

Sasuke's mouth rose in a sneer, stepping forward slightly, hackles raised like a predator.

At the sight of his clear aggression, Gaara's supreme control only allowed him to show his own anger in response to Sasuke's by flattening his mouth and looking away. Sakura felt her own irritation in the whole affair, why did Sasuke insist on being so difficult? He was a guest in Gaara's own village and Sakura would damn well make sure he acted like one in the future. Gaara didn't deserve such blatant disrespect for no good reason.

Sasuke called Naruto childish and yet here he was, still fuming about his old rivalry with Gaara, allowing the past to colour his judgements of the man… Sakura disliked people judging Gaara based on who he used to be, especially after he worked so hard to get better.

Huffing impatiently, Sakura seized the two men, an arm around both necks, and gave them both a quick, perfunctory hug.

"I really felt the love there." Kakashi said flippantly.

Sasuke rubbed his neck, still looking hard at the floor.

"We'll chat later, OK?" Sakura promised.

Kakashi just shrugged, looking at Sasuke. The younger jounin just rolled his eyes like he didn't care.

Gaara snapped, "You two can leave now," just because he could, and pulled Sakura gently by the elbow into an empty hospital room, leaving the two of them behind, Sasuke glaring and Kakashi sighing in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter that you killed the leader," Gaara said the moment the door shut behind them and Sakura backed into the room, "They've tried to have you killed more than once. They pumped you full of drugs. They would have killed your genin team if they could. This is serious."

"They were opportunistic." Sakura replied, "They would have killed me if they could, but they also wanted to recruit me. They have people in every major shinobi hospital. You were right, they had an ideological motive. They hate shinobi, to put it simply. They don't mind medics so much."

Sakura quickly outlined exactly what had happened and what the organisation had wanted in a few minutes. Gaara listened with a growing scowl.

"I don't understand…" He said quietly, "It's such a stupid plan. I'd advise extreme caution for a while, but there is no point in informing Suna. They still aren't aware of the assassination attempts. Tsunade knows, as do a few of your allies, I suppose, but I don't want anyone to panic. If this organisation wants to destabilise us, we must keep the morale high. We can't do that by mentioning there are people out there who want us dead."

"Got it, don't go shouting about it." Sakura said with a wry grin, "I actually wanted to talk to you about Akako."

She had Gaara's interest.

"She's underweight. She lives alone. She's had a crappy life. At the moment, she's only a shinobi because she has nothing else left. She needs something to fight for. You regained your sense of purpose when you became the Kazekage, you had a village to protect and they looked up to you. I need you to talk to Akako, make her feel she's got more to fight for than a crappy genin's wage."

Gaara looked down at the tiled floor, nodding slightly.

"I wanted to give her a second chance," He said in a low voice, his eyes looking bright under the hospital lighting, "The chance I got when I was her age. Her file said she was hated and despised, that people were scared of her, what she could do. It reminded me of the situation I was in before… before Naruto. You are Naruto's friend. You are compassionate and caring, intelligent and fair. I knew you would be the perfect sensei for her. A sensei that I wish I'd had. I'll talk to her."

xxxxxxxx

Gaara sat at his desk, rubbing his aching temples lightly. As he had grown older, he had spotted the link between lack of sleep and his crippling headaches. Whenever he missed even a few hours' sleep, the nagging pain in his head would punish him for it. Kanae had brought in the sleep remedy he took occasionally to stave off the pain and weariness. He took a sip of it and grimaced at the strong, bitter taste.

Akako sat in the chair opposite him. She looked very young and small in the adult-sized chair. He could see her collarbone through her skin with ease. He was willing to bet her ribs and spine were visible. There was no muscle on this girl, just skin and bones.

She chewed on her already-bitten lips, reopening little cuts, her mouth turning red. She averted her pale blue eyes when he looked at her.

"H-have I done something wrong, Kazekage-sama?" Akako asked hesitantly.

"No," Gaara said bluntly, "I merely wanted to speak with you. When I was twelve, my village despised me," Akako was watching him now, peeking through the curtain of her hair, "I'm sure you've heard the story before. I was called a monster. I was a monster. I was violent and immoral. I loved killing, because I believed it was my place in life. I'd been treated like a monster since I was a baby, it was inevitable I would come to believe there was nothing else left in my life to be. I met a very influential, special person. He taught me to dare to be more. I worked hard. I became human again in the eyes of most of the village. I was the Kazekage. I knew what I fought for and why I fought for it. Why are you a ninja?"

Akako, who had been listening raptly up until that point, squirmed in her chair uncomfortably, "I don't know," She admitted, "I need the money. I don't really feel I could be good at anything else…"

"A good shinobi," Gaara said slowly, "Isn't just talented and strong. A good shinobi works hard. A good shinobi fights for a cause they passionately believe in. To grow into the exceptional shinobi I believe you could be, Akako, you need to think of what's most important to you."

She just looked confused.

"If Sakura had died when she was captured," Gaara began, his eyes shadowed, "Would you have cared? If Masa had died defending you, would you have been upset? If Kisho had been killed by that shinobi, would it have affected you? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you have found the answer to becoming a good ninja. Bonds make you stronger. Forge strong bonds and fight to protect those that you care about. Forget that fake kekkei genkai. Only use it as a last resort. If you are going to be a shinobi, do it on your own skill, your own terms. I know you hate using that power of yours. You have a chance to be something special here, Akako. I have some requirements for you. You will accept a weekly sum of money to keep you going until you can fully support yourself. You will undergo monthly check-ups to ensure your health is nothing less than perfect. You will report to Sakura if you have any issues of any nature. You will begin spending time with your teammates. You will train hard as much as you physically can, and build up your muscle tone. I am willing to make sure you don't fall through the cracks, Akako. People like you and I… misunderstood people, perhaps, need to stick together."

Akako's eyes had gotten wider and wider as he named his terms.

When he gave her an envelope full of money, she burst into tears. He had slowly, reluctantly, put his hand on her head and told her it was alright. She'd nodded fiercely, so full of gratitude and happiness that he began to feel ashamed he hadn't done anything sooner.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama!" She said tearfully.

"Just…" He looked down at the small figure, her shoulder blades visible through her thin T-shirt, "Just call me Gaara."

xxxxxxxx

Sakura couldn't help feeling smugly pleased with herself. Not only had she escaped from her two persistent guards (The two-eyed wonders, Sasuke and Kakashi), she'd managed to find a spare nurse's outfit to leave the hospital in.

Sure, she felt a bit sick as she walked through the dusty streets, nodding at the people passing by, but she was pleased to be on her feet so soon.

Even if Gaara was going to eviscerate her for leaving her bed.

She drew into the right street, borrowed shoes squeezing a little too tight as they clacked against the pavement. Houses stacked against each other like little toys, round and sand-resistant. A tan dog tied to a fence looked up as she passed, letting out a little warning growl.

The house she needed was a little shabbier than the rest, with flaking paint and rubbish littering outside the front door.

She walked up the path with a frown, kicking aside the piles of rubbish gathered in her way.

She knocked on the door firmly, turning around to survey the front garden. An absolute mess, sand completely covered the path and boxes of leaking jars were piled against the side of the house messily.

Come on, Masa, she thought impatiently when her knock was ignored.

Someone shouted something from within the house, a deep, masculine voice filled with anger. There was a crash, the sound of breaking glass and a muffled bitten-off groan of supressed pain.

Sakura's eyebrows pulled sharply together, her forehead wrinkled in a frown. She listened intently.

_Smack._

The sound of flesh striking flesh.

This time the crashing sound was louder and a young boy cried out for the first time.

Masa.

His father was a shinobi.

_Shit._

* * *

><p>Um, yep. Bad stuff.<p>

Put in the Akako-Gaara chat as per the request of Shubhs :) It fit into the plot, so I was happy to write it!

Shikamaru still not awake.

Gaara and Sakura hug again. She's feeling awkward 'cause she's suddenly _feeling _stuff and he's feeling weird 'cause of what happened in the desert...

Sasuke not a happy bunny. If I ever mention he has two eyes, that is because it is _damn near impossible _to remember I blinded him in one eye in Desert Scar. I'm an eejit.

Sorry for the HUGE delay, had so much homework (still do) and other fanfics to write :(

I wish I could nickname you guys… I'd like to call you Scars, but that seems a little violent? Blossoms? Ha ha, I will simply call you darlings for the time being.

I love you all! *dramatic twirl*

**Quick poll because I can: **Who is your favourite of Team Sakura? (Sakura not included, terribly sorry)

A) Kisho

B) Masa

C) Akako

D) I care not for ye OCs, I wish only to return to me ship and swab the deck, ye scurvy knave.

I'm in a pirate mood.

D is the funniest option, I will admit XD

See you all later, darlings!


	9. Punishment Blossoms

The door flew back and crashed against a wall from within the house, shaking the foundations as Sakura's well-placed kick sent shockwaves throughout the shabby building.

Lowering her leg, she listened intently. A hushed whisper, the smack of flesh on flesh.

Enough.

She charged into the house, shoving a rickety bookcase that had fallen into her path away, shattering it. She fought against the various piles of rubbish, pots and boxes piled up in the hall, heading towards the faint flickers of chakra, her face set in grim determination.

Another door in her way.

Her fist reduced it to pieces.

She stepped through the doorway, not even feeling the splinters or the door hinges that struck her after she obliterated the wooden door.

The room she entered was just as shabby as the exterior indicated it would be. There was a sour smell curling around the room, grime and dust covering every area. The only piece of furniture (excluding every broken bottle, smashed wooden box and piles of wood that littered the floor) was a threadbare sofa that looked as though it housed a thousand creatures.

Masa was on the ground, his entire body curled up defensively as though expecting a blow, his hands in front of his face, his knees drawn up against his stomach.

A middle-aged man stood over him, heavy-set and muscled, his jaw strong and his eyes piercing. He looked shocked at the sight of a pink-haired girl, the evident cause of the smashing sounds that had been occurring from within his house.

Masa's glasses were underneath his boot, smashed glass embedded in the sole.

Sakura was wild-eyed, staring straight at the man without a trace of fear or worry. There was no room for anything but the biting, raging _anger_ she felt. Her forehead was creased in the middle, her eyebrows pulled together sharply, nostrils flared. She was breathing shallowly through her nose, mouth pressed tightly shut to avoid shouting her rage.

"Who the hell are you?" The man took a threatening step forward.

Threatening.

Sakura laughed, a wild, terrifying sound, "Who am _I?_ Oh… You _will_ find out. I'll teach you."

Masa looked up at the sound of her voice, blood running into his eyes, which widened when they took in his teacher's sudden appearance.

"That boy, Masa," Sakura snarled, taking her own threatening step forward, "He is my student. I've been worried about him. Do you think I was right to be worried?"

The man paused, visibly working out what to say, his eyes flickering from Sakura's furious face to Masa's downed body.

"Are you his father?" She asked, just seeking clarification. This man could be Mizukage for all she cared, she'd beat the shit out of him anyway for what he had done.

He suddenly smiled, turning on the charm, offering a deep bow, "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My son always talks about you. You must know how he is… he's a boy, nearly in his teens, wild and uncontrollable. He's a shinobi, there's only one real way of… disciplining him."

Masa made a small sound, like an animal in pain.

"You don't discipline children like this," Sakura said slowly, infuriated, "You don't beat your children. He's a genin, he couldn't possibly defend himself against you! How dare you! You – you -!"

"Now, I'm sure we can work this out…" Masa's father said calmly, "I've heard you work for the Kazekage. I don't think he'd appreciate hearing about this, you barging into a man's home, wilfully vandalising his property and lecturing him on the best way to discipline his child, now do you?"

"Are you threatening me?" Sakura asked in wonder. Oh please. Please threaten me. I _need_ an excuse.

He flared his chakra ever so slightly, enough to tell her he was strong, "No, I would _never_ threaten the Kazekage's bodyguard."

"How long have you been hitting him?" Sakura asked suddenly, taking another step until she was glaring right in his face.

"Disciplining," He chided, "It's not as if the boy doesn't deserve a dressing-down every once –"

Sakura punched him in the face, so hard her elbow throbbed from the force and momentum of the blow, her body swinging to power through the hit.

The man crashed through the wall with a deafening crack, dust rising from where he'd landed. The wall now had a large, gaping hole in the centre.

Masa's bruises, the plasters on his face. She'd assumed, every other jounin sensei must have assumed, that his prickly, violent nature must have caused him to get into fights with the other genin.

He had told her when they'd first met that he was a ninja because he wanted to prove himself to his father. But what if what he'd really wanted was the ability to _protect himself from his father?_

When that masked ninja had hit Masa in the face, a man twice his size and much, much stronger than him, Masa had stayed on his feet and not even cried out. He was used to being hit by adult ninja.

Sakura climbed through the hole and pulled the man up by his shirt, noting that the left side of his face was bruised and bloodied from where she had struck him. He'd live. Pity.

She shook him until his eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"If you ever touch him again," Sakura said menacingly, her voice a low, angry whisper, "I will kill you _slowly_."

She dropped him and climbed back into the house, rushing to Masa's side.

She ran a clinical hand down his side. Several fractured ribs. Slightly swollen organs. Multiple bruises, old and new, decorated the surface of his skin, a few dark and painful-looking. His leg had been broken in the past and, by the feel of the bone, had not been set and had healed awkwardly. How had he hidden these injuries?

She bit her lip, rolling Masa over gently. His eyes were unfocused.

She slowly healed his wounds, aware that in her entire time with Masa, she had never once heard him cry out, not in training, not in battle, but whatever that man had been doing to him and had made him call out from the pain.

This man was going to _pay._

"Sakura?" He muttered, trying to sit up.

Sakura smiled at him in what she hoped was a comforting way, trying to conceal her sorrow and rage at what had been done to her student.

"Masa. I'm here." She said kindly, holding his hand, "I'll always be here for you, you know that?"

Masa's eyes welled up. He turned his face away, jaw trembling with the effort of clamping his mouth shut against the sobs that were threatening to burst out.

"Sensei." He said simply, looking up at her, his eyes so full of fear and yet his expression cautiously hopeful, as though he didn't quite dare to dream someone had come to help him.

"I'll help you, I swear it." She promised.

xxxxxxxx

"Assault on a jounin in his own home, massive property damage, breaking and entering a private residence, Haruno-sama, this will not do. As the Kazekage's assistant and bodyguard, you have a duty to Suna and your own home village. You represent the entirety of Konoha and at this rate, you are doing a poor job." The council representative from before (whose name Sakura had learned was Kurosawa Kazuki) said sternly.

Sakura ignored the woman, knocking on Gaara's door.

"I am certain that the Kazekage is too busy to listen to your falsified reasons for your criminal actions, Haruno-sama. In fact, I believe this is a matter the rest of the Council would be interested in –"

Sakura cut the woman off by turning sharply and glaring at her, "With the greatest respect, Kurosawa-san, my reasons for these so-called criminal actions are not subject to the Council's scrutiny or your opinion. I will take this matter straight to the Kazekage and he will deal with it as _he_ sees fit."

Kurosawa inhaled sharply, presumably to start another lecture.

Sakura slammed Gaara's door in her face.

Gaara looked up from his desk, his face draining of colour when he saw who was in his office.

"I assume you have a good explanation as to why you are not in bed right now." Gaara said, reigning in his annoyance until it barely showed in his face.

Sakura walked up to his desk and slammed her fist on it, "Masa!" She snapped, "Masa is my reason! I wanted to check on him and guess what I found? His father _beats_ him, Gaara, he beats him!

Gaara steadied his desk, his expression contemplative, "Beats him?"

"Yes! He made some lame excuse about having to discipline him but I saw through it –"

"Sakura, what did you do?" Gaara sounded exasperated.

"I couldn't just stand by! I hit the bastard, Gaara, and I'm glad I did! I broke into his house when I heard Masa's cries and I damaged his house quite significantly, and I'd do it again if it meant saving Masa!"

"So this man was disciplining his child and he –"

"No, Gaara!" Sakura stared at him, aghast, "He was beating him because he is a cruel, horrible person, he had no right to hurt Masa!"

Gaara rubbed his jaw, looking away, "There is no written law against striking your child."

Sakura's mouth dropped open, "What? In Konoha we –"

"Yes, well, you aren't _in_ Konoha now, Sakura," Gaara stood up, walking towards his window, turning away from her, "I know during your stay here you have wished you were 'home.' I know you view Suna as an extension of Konoha but in truth, this is an entirely separate village. We don't have the same laws as you are used to. Right now the only crimes committed in this case are yours."

"You think that bastard should be allowed to hurt his son? Gaara, please tell me you aren't going to make Masa go back to him." Sakura asked, her tone softly pleading.

Gaara turned his head slightly, "Where is Masa now?"

"… I left him in the hospital."

"His condition was that bad?"

"He left him bleeding on the floor. Several fractured ribs, he was covered in bruises and cuts and I could tell he's been suffering regular abuse for years! This man is a jounin, much stronger than Masa, his own father, and he's been attacking him! I was defending a child. I don't care if the Council think I was committing a crime, but if you don't agree with what I did…"

Gaara breathed out sharply, "Abuse. Fine, we will call it assault. Multiple assaults over a long period of time. Have reports written up over his injuries, list every past and present mark you find. Masa will have his own apartment in the meantime –"

"No," Sakura shook her head, "He'll live with me."

Gaara gave her a frustrated glance and threw his hands up in an oddly expressive gesture, "You live here, in the Kazekage Compound. You live in one room with a bathroom. You don't have room."

"I'll move back into my old apartment building, one with two rooms, I'm sure I can afford the rent."

"No, I forbid it." Gaara's tone did not allow further argument on the subject.

Ignoring the steely look in his eyes, Sakura pressed on, "Masa can't live on his own, he's only twelve. Sasuke lived alone after his family was killed and look what happened to him! If Kakashi-sensei had lived with him, if _anyone_ had lived with him, I'm sure he would have been better off. I promised myself I wouldn't let Masa turn out like Sasuke, bitter, lonely and yet spurning all bonds."

"You are my bodyguard and you are suggesting moving out of my building." Gaara said flatly.

"Well, bodyguard was only an informal term. You'll have Kankuro and Temari when she's all healed up."

"This is just a convenient excuse, isn't it?" Gaara spat, "You've been wanting to move away for years and this is your chance."

"What? No!"

"You told me," Gaara said coldly, "In the desert. You said you wanted to go back to Konoha."

Sakura's forehead creased in confusion, "What?" She didn't even remember Gaara being in the desert, she'd just woken up in the hospital room. Come to think of it, how had they even found her? "I'm not asking to move back to Konoha, I'm just saying it might be for the best if I have a little place with Masa, for his own good."

Gaara's jaw clenched, "So you want to give this boy a home for this year and then what? Where will he live when you go back to Konoha?"

Sakura felt the realisation sink in, "I'd forgotten I was leaving…"

Gaara sighed at the disappointed look on her face. He moved away from the window and stood in front of her, his eyes gentle, "You may move into an apartment with Masa, on the condition that you are responsible for finding more permanent accommodation for him after you leave."

She beamed at him, thrilled, "Thank you! I will. What will happen to his father?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Well, I can only assume he's been hospitalised."

Sakura looked away sheepishly, "Er, yeah… I called on some Anbu and told them what happened. They took him to the hospital and I took Masa. Someone's guarding his father now. He needs to pay for what he's done, I don't even want him in the same village as Masa!"

"He'll be locked up, questioned, put on trial and presumably imprisoned. Is that OK?"

There was a quiet, respectful knock at the door.

"Enter." Gaara said.

Kanae opened the door carefully with one hand, holding a heavy tray with the other. Sakura helped her out, taking the tray off of her.

Kanae stopped dead at the sight of her, "Sakura-san! Are you well enough to be –"

"No, she isn't," Gaara sighed, "Is that my headache tonic?"

Kanae nodded, looking encouraged by the bolstering smile Sakura sent her. She picked a bottle off of the tray Sakura held and handed it to the Kazekage.

"It should help a lot faster than before," She said shyly, "I added some more herbs."

"Excellent." Gaara drank the tonic without hesitation, grimacing at the taste.

"Are you getting headaches more frequently?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"No, I'm fine," Gaara dismissed her concern, "Do not worry. I'm just having trouble sleeping sometimes."

"Well, that's why I added this," Kanae said eagerly, holding up the other bottle on the tray, "It's a sleep aid to go with the tonic for the pain. I added chamomile, a bit of valerian and a touch of lavender."

"Wow, that stuff will knock you out in seconds." Sakura laughed.

Gaara looked cheered, taking the bottle from Sakura's tray, "Well done, Kanae. How are the children?"

"Shika is advancing much quicker than I would have anticipated! She is almost able to speak, I'm sure of it. She repeats the noises I make. She appears to understand how to solve Akira's puzzles. I took Akira to see his parents today and though he was upset that his father was still asleep, he was very, very happy to see his mother." Kanae smiled contentedly.

"Well, he can thank his Aunt Sakura for that," Gaara said absently, examining his sleep aid closely. Sakura felt a rush of pleasure at the idea of being part of this weird, quirky little family. She'd grown very close to the Kazekage and his family in the four years she had been in Suna, but occasionally her Konoha background made her feel a little isolated from the tight-knit group. Shikamaru always made her feel better though. When would he wake up? "Sakura, do you know how we found you that day? In the desert?"

"No." Sakura frowned, she hadn't even thought about it, she'd just rushed about doing her business as usual. Maybe Gaara was right, she did work too hard.

"Kanae." Gaara nodded at the other woman, who flushed and waved her hands.

"No, I didn't really do much." Kanae denied, her face turning red.

"She got a wagon back to Suna and informed us that you had been taken ill in a pub and that an unknown woman you'd met there had dragged you out. If she hadn't done that, we wouldn't have known you were missing."

Sakura gave Kanae a little friendly nudge, "You did what? Thank you so much! I would have died in that desert without you. Does Kankuro know?"

She wanted to tell him herself, he had the funniest expression whenever they talked about Kanae, a mixture of dazed and happy.

Gaara shrugged, "I've no idea. Kanae, I will see if the tonics help. Go back to the children."

Gaara's way of saying thank you.

Sakura rolled her eyes and escorted the other woman out, quickly checking the hall outside to see if Kurosawa was there. She had left, obviously not wanting to confront Sakura whilst she was with the Kazekage. Kurosawa seemed to think the world of Gaara. Her opinion of Sakura was far less complimentary.

The moment the door closed, Gaara stepped up to Sakura, saying quietly, "You don't remember the desert?"

Sakura turned around to face him, "Not at all, sorry. Why?"

Gaara gazed at her steadily, hairless brows slightly raised. His voice was calm when he finally said, "You told me you loved me."

Sakura's heart did a rabbit-like jump in her chest just as her stomach swooped as though she had fallen from a great height.

She took a step back, mouth dropping open, head tilted back as she _stared_ at Gaara, who still looked calm and only mildly interested.

"I said _what_?" Sakura gasped, horrified. Told Gaara she loved him? She didn't even… she couldn't work it out. When she went to see Gaara, even after all this time, she felt a surge of excitement and anticipation at the thought of seeing him. After a few quiet evenings spent talking in his office, she had realised how easily they got on, whereas the other people she was close to occasionally grated on her (Naruto was too loud and obnoxious at times, and there was the awkwardness of his former crush on her still present, Sasuke was cold and taciturn, coaxing a conversation out of him was harder than fighting Sasori and Ino was… Ino) but she and Gaara felt like kindred spirits.

But that wasn't love. Was it?

"I was wondering if you meant it." He said coolly, still not taking his eyes off of her.

"I –I –" Sakura stuttered, "I think –"

The door flew open without a knock and Kakashi strode in.

He did a dramatic double take, impressively expressed considering his concealed facial features, hands up in alarm and single eye wide open.

"Woah," He said emphatically, "This is the –" He checked the sign on the door, "The _Kazekage's office_? Sasuke, we took a wrong turning somewhere."

Sasuke hung back in the hallway, glaring inside the room but not stepping in, "I told you we should have turned left." He said tonelessly.

How very wooden he appeared. Sakura raised an eyebrow, cheeks flushed pink. They couldn't have heard anything, surely? But Sasuke's glare was trained on her, not Gaara, as was his usual wont.

"Get out." Gaara said icily.

"Er, Sakura, I'm pretty sure I know my way around by now, but Sasuke might need a quick tour if you're free –" Kakashi wheedled, but Gaara was already shaking his head.

"She isn't." He snapped, his expression dark.

"Oh really? How busy you seem to be here." Kakashi said idly, single eye now calculating, "You appear to do far more here than in Konoha. Do you ever get days off? Breaks?"

"Do you often make a habit of listening at Kage's doors, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura widened her eyes pointedly, "I don't see how you would know what I did at Konoha or here unless you did."

Kakashi's eye creased in a smile that was more likely to be a smirk, "Oh Sakura… he's rubbing off on you."

"If you mean Gaara, then good," Sakura said hotly, "because there's nothing wrong with him."

Gaara coughed slightly.

"No, no, of course not…" Kakashi said cheerily, "How long have you got to stay in Suna?"

"Six months if Tsunade recalls me early," Sakura said, mentally adding up the days. Not long. The thought of returning to Konoha now was like… she couldn't even describe it. She _loved_ Suna, "Why?"

"Just wondering…" Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, "We were thinking of lending our services to Suna for a little longer."

"Absolutely not." Gaara said bluntly.

"Why not? We'd go on missions, help out, keep Sakura happy with familiar faces from _home_," He briefly posed, pointing to his and Sasuke's faces, "Two jounin, two Sharingan, no catch."

Gaara's lip curled in deep dislike, "The catch is that I would be forced to endure your presences longer than required. The answer is no."

"Tsunade already approved it," Kakashi watched Gaara closely to see his reaction, "She thinks us staying here will help Suna-Konoha relations. She doesn't like the thought of Sakura being here alone."

"She isn't alone," Gaara snapped, "And the Hokage cannot force me to take you on."

"Sakura?" Kakashi turned to her, his tone beseeching.

"Oh go on then," She rolled her eyes. Anything to get them out of Gaara's office so they could discuss… what she had apparently said to him in the desert, "Please, Gaara?"

Gaara scowled at the sight of Kakashi attempting puppy-dog eyes with only one eye and Sakura actually managing it, looking hopefully at the Kazekage, eyes wide and imploring.

"I am not going to pay you." Gaara warned.

"Oh, Tsunade would send a monthly pay package." Kakashi smiled.

Sakura could almost hear Gaara's annoyance.

"Fine," He gritted out, "Just stay away from me and do your jobs competently. Slacking is not tolerated. Your tolerances to heat will be weak, keep bottled water with you at all times. Take regular ice baths. Do not complain. You will be given an apartment, I assume you want to share. Now go, before I call someone to get rid of you."

"Absolutely," Kakashi said triumphantly, "Sakura, come give Sasuke a tour of the Kazekage Compound."

He gripped her arm and went to tug her out of the room.

Gaara's chakra flared so strongly that Sakura gasped and whirled around.

He was biting his lip and looking away, clearly trying to control himself.

"Gaara, are you OK?" Sakura moved forward, worried.

"Come on." Kakashi said, his tone more serious now that the Kazekage's displeasure had been made obvious.

Sasuke watched silently, eye narrowed.

"…I'll be fine," Gaara said stiffly, looking down at the floor, cheeks slightly flushed in shame, "Just leave."

The sand scraped against the inside of the gourd.

Kakashi looked wary, his body language defensive. Sasuke was obviously wrestling with himself over something.

Sakura sighed deeply. She took one step closer to Gaara, ignoring his flinch. She put her hands on his shoulders, ignoring Kakashi's warning mutter, "Careful now," and looked into his eyes.

She _hated_ seeing him like this. Scared out of his mind because he might hurt someone, break something. Shying away from her touch as though fearing for her safety. Why was he like this still? Shouldn't his control be greater over time, not weaker?

Could it be… her 'love confession' and subsequent confusion over the subject had affected his stability?

"I'll stay if you need me." She said quietly, looking deeply into those pale jade eyes, her grip on his shoulders gentle as though he was made of glass. Gaara seemed infinitely fragile under her touch.

He closed his eyes, breathing slowing as he regained control over his emotions.

"Sakura, come on." Sasuke spoke up for the first time, sounding irritated yet afraid. Afraid for her?

Gaara nodded slightly. Sakura assumed it was in response to Sasuke's words and let go of his shoulders.

He opened his eyes, "Stay." He said softly.

* * *

><p>Laaaaaaaaaaate update.<p>

Sasuke and Kakashi grow increasingly more obvious.

Gaara's control might be slipping.

Masa's daddy got the shit kicked out of him, huzzah.

Don't touch Sakura's kids, she will end you.

Masa and Sakura will be flatmates! Could this be a source of future hilarity? You bet! XD

Kanae is cute. But how in heck's name do you _pronounce_ that name? It bothers me. I bet I'm pronouncing it wrong, I call her 'Kan-ay' I bet it's really 'Kan-eh' or something.

If it comes out right, more Masa and more Kisho in the next chapter. Gaara and Sakura too.

Gaara didn't understand the concept of parental abuse because 1) he had a very spoiled upbringing, and his father couldn't hit him even if he wanted to and 2) because I imagine Suna is different from Konoha, less modern in their laws. Hell, marital rape wasn't against the law until what, the nineties? Law progresses with society, but sometimes it can be a bit slow.

**Quick poll take for funsies: **How do you want Desert Blossom to end? (I want to see if any of you guess correctly!)

No suggestions.

I love my little Scarred Blossoms (thanks to Achlys for the name!). That's you guys!

See you later, darlings.

Out of curiosity, where are you guys from? I'm from England.


	10. Love Blossoms

Sakura nodded calmly, then turned to face Kakashi and Sasuke, both of whom looked wary and ready to attack/flee if necessary.

"I'll have to take a rain check on that tour, Sasuke." She said firmly, ignoring the buzzing waves of chakra the Kazekage was giving off, "See you later."

Despite their protests, she shut the door in their faces.

"Sakura, I'm sorry about this…" Gaara said, sounding choked, "This is… weak, foolish. I should be able contain myself."

"No," Sakura smiled, patting him on the shoulder, "It isn't surprising that you lose control every now and then. I just screwed up, majorly, remember? Besides, that's what I'm here for, to help."

Gaara breathed out shakily, "I don't deserve you." He said quietly, allowing her to steer him into his chair, lowering himself down carefully, his breathing rapid and shallow. She slowly and carefully unstrapped his gourd and placed it in the corner.

Sakura knelt down next to his chair, holding his hand in hers, absently rubbing his palm with her thumb comfortingly, "I'm your friend," She murmured, staring into his eyes, trying to convey how much she cared with that once glance, "You deserve friends who want to help you."

Gaara closed his eyes, leaning back to rest his head on the chair. His gourd was silent.

"I have waited," He said in a low voice, eyes still closed, "a long time to hear you call me something more than a friend."

Sakura's heart was beating so loudly she was genuinely afraid Gaara, with his ridiculously sharp ears, would hear it.

She swallowed, her mouth bone-dry. Her hand trembled slightly in Gaara's.

This had been coming for a very long time. Ever since that day when Gaara had freaked out about Sasuke and confessed to her. She'd had years to make up her mind about what she felt.

But this was _Gaara_, her boss, her friend… The Kazekage. She had tried to get her head around the concept of him loving her, and had failed. It did not help that Gaara treated her exactly the same as everyone else, with cool stoicism above all and without a shred of tenderness. Even now, with her hand in his, he did not respond to her gentle grip.

"I am a very patient man, I've been told," Gaara said, opening his eyes to look at her, his gaze heated, "But even I have my limits. You have months left in Suna. I will not be left behind without an answer, wondering if my feelings were requited or scorned. I want to know if I have a chance."

Sakura let go of his hand, thinking hard. What should she say? Telling him that she didn't know would surely anger or disappoint him. Besides, how could she not know? She had once thought love was something you felt and thus, was impossible to miss. Could it be that she did love him, she just… hadn't realised it?

She imagined Gaara with a wife.

She would be beautiful, no question, and probably a very skilled shinobi. She would have exotic colouring and flirty eyes. She would be a resident of Suna, and would never burn in the sun or collapse from dehydration. She would be unscarred, perfect.

Sakura felt a flicker of irritation at the thought of Gaara, married. He was already kept incredibly busy by his work, if he was married as well… He would never have time for his friends. She would come back to Suna for a visit a few years later and he would spare her a glance, barely recognising her, and then coldly say he was far too busy for a chat, his wife hanging over him, her smile smug.

Sakura scowled at the thought of it, how selfish of Gaara to forsake his friends for his wife…

Her mind was dragged back to the present reality when Gaara stood up abruptly, turning to face her.

She pushed herself up, still mildly irritated at the mere image of Gaara's wife with her arms around him, when Gaara himself took a step closer to her.

There was something purposeful about that step that spooked her. His eyes were glued to her own, his mouth a grim frown, his expression resigned.

"What is it?" She asked, confused and worried.

Gaara wordlessly put his hands out to touch the wall behind her, trapping her within his arms. His face came to hover in front of hers, his handsome features laid bare for her scrutiny.

"A test." He answered, his eyes drifting down to her lips.

When they were kids, Sakura remembered vaguely noting Gaara was cute, but this thought was dwarfed by the underlying creepiness that ran through her assessment of him – his expression too blank, his eyes a fraction too wide, skin too pale to be healthy, his hair the exact same shade of fresh blood, a colour any ninja knew too well. She'd wanted to stay away from him – though he was exotic, cool and handsome, her fixation with Sasuke ruined any attraction she may have felt for the frightening nin from Suna.

Seeing his face so close to her own now, she was forcibly reminded of a memory she'd tried to forget, in which she'd seen something similar.

xxxxxxxx

Her arm tingles faintly all over, as if Shino had released a bunch of insects to crawl over her, like he had with his own opponent. The thought makes her skin crawl even further. She knew she wasn't supposed to care about things like mud and bugs, that there was something categorically weak and female about shrieking when you found a beetle in your hair, but Sakura could never shake her hatred for all things little and crawly.

She wonders if she had a kekkei genkai somehow, buried deep within her genetic code, maybe one of her parents was a carrier of the gene and she'd inherited some ultra-cool technique that she simply had not activated yet. Maybe it would be eye-based, like Sasuke-kun's, and she'd be able to make her eyes really pretty and blue or something. And shoot knives from her fingertips.

Yeah, as if. Sakura turned slightly, wincing at the flare of pain, and thumped her head down on the pillow. She was the ordinary one. The one without any special skills or talents. Even Naruto acted cool sometimes, like in the Forest of Death when his eyes went red and he stopped the snake from killing Sasuke. If she was being kind to herself, she'd say she was the smart one. But then, whilst her knowledge of the shinobi world outclassed Sasuke and Naruto by several leagues, Sasuke came up with the smart plans, and was witty enough to deliver several crushing put-downs to destroy her self-esteem. So maybe he was the smart one instead.

She risked a quick glance at her arm, which she was sullenly keeping under the sheet. She sucked in her breath, tears coming to her eyes at the sight of her mangled flesh.

She was _ugly._

Not since she was a kid with a huge, ginormous, monstrously massive forehead that was out of proportion with the rest of her face had she been ugly.

She'd stepped out of Ino's shadow and learnt how to do her hair, she'd mostly managed to grow into her forehead, she knew how to make regulation shinobi uniforms look good and for a while, she'd been popular. People had found her pretty.

Now look at her.

Her arm was disgusting, actually horrifying to look at. Sasuke's face! His expression when he had quickly glanced at her arm… Revulsion.

The door opens without a creak, something that makes Sakura's vague shinobi instincts, though sluggish and hardly fine-tuned, perk up with alarm. No nurse opened the door like that, smoothly and silently, Tsunade kicked it open to avoid breaking her stride and every other nurse knocked first. Only a shinobi could and would open the door like that, to stop her hearing their arrival. But, since she was facing the door anyway, covering her arm with the sheet once more, she'd been able to watch the door slowly open.

Sabaku no Gaara edges into the room.

Sakura stops breathing.

It was her every nightmare made real. Ever since Gaara had ripped her arm open, she had dreamt of nothing else, of him coming to finish the job. It was a sad thought that entered her mind next, maybe her kekkei genkai was prophetic dreams, maybe she'd used some shinobi technique to see this coming… Or maybe she had simply known how insane the boy was and had seen it coming through ordinary, mundane means.

Either way, there he was, one pale hand slipping the door shut behind him, two cold eyes fixed on her face.

"I didn't think you would be awake." He rasps, his other hand running up and down the strap that tied the gourd to his back, a restless, animal gesture that makes Sakura's heart lurch in fear.

He takes a step towards her, his hand shooting out to rest on the metal frame at the end of the bed, his eyes wild and darting around the room as though searching for threats.

"Go away." Sakura's voice is low and scared but Gaara shows no sign of having heard her.

"Why did your sensei get in my way?" He asks, his voice not curious, but she could detect confusion somewhere within that frightening hiss.

"Kakashi-sensei?" She stammers out, "He didn't want me to die, I guess."

"Why? You had failed. I'd beaten you. You were of no use to him. He should have wanted you dead."

"M-maybe that's how you think in Suna…" Sakura manages to say as Gaara stepped around her bed and came to stand next to her. She let out a surprised cry when his hand dropped heavily onto her collarbone, fingers curling painfully around the protruding bone. A second later and sand seeped out, whispering along her chest and up her neck, spreading about the pillow, hissing in her ears.

"B-but in Konoha… we care about each other… Kakashi-sensei would be hurt if I died, you see." She has no idea why she was attempting to rationalise natural human affection to a mad boy who clearly knew nothing about normal things or even cared about them, really.

She was shaking, the sand filling up the bed and scratching against her skin painfully.

Gaara pulls the sheet away from her arm and studies his handiwork, his expression still blank. Did nothing affect him?

"So it is a cultural quirk." Gaara lets out a rough _heh_ sound, close to laughter but not quite, his fingers digging into her collarbone, "You know, I've never left anyone alive that I have wanted to kill. The only exceptions are my siblings. I was required to leave them alive. But I have no such obligation towards you. You, I may kill."

The sand swirls around her with a surge of violence, and Sakura wonders why, _why_ was she still concerned with the fact that a boy who wasn't Sasuke was technically touching her chest and that the sand was starting to get into her hospital gown when she really ought to be focusing on the impending death thing.

"Why?" She asks simply.

The sand scrapes against her ear and she shudders.

Gaara's face comes closer to her own. "Why, what?" He replies, his hand squeezing into a fist, the sand responding by constricting around her throat.

"W-what's the point in killing me?"

"I reaffirm my existence. I feel alive when I take the lives of others away. It is my reason to live."

Sakura had just enough time to think, what a sad reason to live but please move that hand up from my chest because it's drifting too far down, when Naruto and Shikamaru ran into the room and all hell broke loose, the chaos only being reined in when Kakashi forced Gaara to leave peacefully.

xxxxxxxx

And now, Gaara's hand floated down to gently brush against her collarbone, telling her he remembered as well.

But this time, she was older, she'd hit puberty, she wasn't drugged up with pain medication and there was no sand threatening to crush her oesophagus.

The thick black rings around Gaara's eyes made him look deathly pale, his eyes a sickly shade of green and his mouth a rough slash usually set in a frown. Somehow, these qualities, when teamed together, looked very, very appealing up close.

Sakura gathered the courage to reach up with her hand and trace the kanji on his forehead, feeling the lines of the character softly as Gaara leant in.

Their first and last kiss had been in the middle of Gaara's sandstorm.

This kiss was different.

She was pressed against the wall, head tilted back under the weight of Gaara's lips on hers, her hand curving around his cheek, the other touching his shoulder blade. His hand was in the small of her back and she could feel his heart beating against her chest somehow, a healthy _thump-thump-thump_ that was just a little too fast.

Gaara slowly pulled away and rested his chin on her shoulder, panting, hands on her hips.

She let out a nervous giggle, one that said, _oh my GOD, I just kissed my boss I am so dead Tsunade-sama probably did not want me to fraternise with him I am so dead this is beyond weird._

"You are panicking." Gaara stated flatly into her shoulder, his lips moving against her sleeve, surprising a squeak out of her, "Stop it."

"I-I'm sorry," Sakura said, her voice high-pitched and strangled, "I'm just not used to this…"

"Romantic attention? But I have been informed you receive a lot of admiration from males." Gaara lifted his head to frown at her, not a shred of jealousy in his voice.

"Informed by whom? And, no I mean, I'm not used to… to… kissing Kazekages…"

"Well, I should hope not, given that my predecessor was both my own father and much older than you. Your attempt to foster relations between our villages might suffer slightly from the scandal such an encounter would bring. And I was informed by Kankuro, who mentioned that you were 'cranky lately' because you apparently needed to get 'laid,' but that was not likely to happen because you ignored every male who had romantic inclinations towards you."

Sakura kneaded her temples violently, trying to erase the memory of Gaara using the phrase, 'get laid.'

The office felt hotter than usual, the sun filling the room with a warm, orange glow. The air was stiflingly heavy. Sakura's mouth was bone-dry, her hair sticking to the back of her neck as she started to sweat.

Gaara looked beautifully composed as ever, milk-white, creamy skin untouched by the sun, jadeite eyes glittering in the light, the faint breeze playing with the loose, red tendrils around his face.

It had been years since Gaara had confessed, and Sakura had spent every day since thinking hard about what she should do. Every interaction was agonized over, every memory of the two of them analysed over and over until it had lost all meaning altogether, all to see if she returned his feelings. She had tortured herself with the knowledge of Gaara's love, every smile she received from a man was a stab of guilt to her, every time Kankuro jokingly mentioned marriage to her she had not once joined in with the joke, feeling bad for Gaara.

But he was her boss. More than that, he led the village she lived in! She was his assistant and they were supposed to have a purely professional relationship. However… Sakura remembered Temari's wish that Sakura would fall in love with Gaara, her glee at his newfound ability to love, her disappointment when Sakura said she didn't love him back. She would have two staunch allies, should she pursue a relationship with Gaara, Temari and Kankuro would back them all the way.

"Do you still love me?" She asked, looking up at him nervously.

His voice was firm and sincere when he spoke, "Yes. My feelings have not changed. I have wanted to be with you for a very long time."

Sakura breathed out shakily, wiping her palms on her thighs, her heart thumping away like a demented drum. She desperately needed some water.

The last thing she wanted to do was faint.

"Um…" Her voice trembled. "Let… let me test something now."

Gaara's gaze was steady, and their eyes remained locked upon each other as Sakura slowly lifted her hands and placed them on either side of Gaara's face.

He moved forward slightly at her touch, dipping into her space, his forehead grazing hers, staring into her eyes.

Sakura gazed into Gaara's face and really _looked._

The mere thought of Gaara made her smile. She greatly enjoyed the time she spent working in his office with him, helping him write reports, just chatting to him about her day… She went to bed happy, knowing she would see him tomorrow. She cared for him much more than her other friends – she had consciously known this, and considered their friendship different, more complex, on another level of closeness. Just then, her little, illogical annoyance at the thought of Gaara being married, was that the complaint of a close friend worried her best friend's time would be monopolised by his new love, or was it something else entirely? Could it be, she cared more than she had known?

She felt a wave of tenderness as her thumbs stroked his high, aristocratic cheekbones, butterflies dancing in her stomach at the feel of his skin against hers. There was not a drop of sweat on his pale face. His eyes were clear, his skin unblemished and his lips unbitten. The moment her gaze dropped to his mouth, her heart began to race, especially when Gaara moved agonisingly, teasingly closer, angling his face so that, should Sakura choose to meet him halfway, they would be able to kiss once more without trouble.

"I think," Sakura said without a stammer or a falter in her voice, "I love you too."

Then she moved forwards, planting her lips right onto his rapidly growing smile, squeaking into his mouth when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flat against him.

"Finally," He murmured, smiling blissfully, lightly kissing her jaw, "You took your time."

xxxxxxxx

"I have called this Council meeting," Kurosawa Kazuki drawled, shifting the papers in front of her on the smooth, polished table, "To address a few concerns I have over the Kazekage's assistant from Konoha, Haruno Sakura."

"Sakura-no-Chiyu?" An old woman seated to Kurosawa's right said in a quavering voice, "The medic nin? Don't tell me she's been captured again. The amount of paperwork we've had to process because she is a magnet for trouble is simply ridiculous."

"No, to my knowledge Sakura-sama remains unharmed and very much in her own flat at the moment." Kurosawa answered, her voice dry.

"To what knowledge would that be, hm?" A shrewd man in his thirties leant forward in his chair, "You have Anbu trailing her, don't you? An unnecessary expense, very unlike you, Kurosawa-san."

"Not Anbu," Kurosawa bared her teeth in a parody of a polite smile, "Volunteers. Unpaid."

"Well, you always were a thrifty one." The old woman said approvingly.

Kurosawa acknowledged the compliment with a nod of gratitude. "Now, on to business. During her stay here in Suna, Haruno Sakura has made many waves with her unorthodox, foreign attitude. Her mere presence caused restlessness in the village – the beloved Kazekage taking on a foreign ninja from a village we were at the time just getting over a war with as his own personal assistant? For a woman of her background, the Hokage's own assistant just weeks before she left to come to Suna, can you deny she is at least slightly suspicious? Not to mention the hold she has been reported to have over the Kazekage. She is close to him beyond propriety, using casual language when conversing with him, even referring to him by his given name, no suffix attached, _to his face._" Kurosawa breathed out crossly, "Also, a man who attended school with her and was a friend of hers – Nara Shikamaru… hardly any time had passed after Sakura-sama's arrival in Suna before this foreign jounin had moved here too, permanently, after proposing to the Kazekage's sister."

This caused murmurs of interest in the room.

Certain she had the Council members' full attention, Kurosawa continued triumphantly, "Can that really be called coincidence? Or can it be, that the Hokage has sneakily planted two of her own right at heart of Suna, both of whom now have a considerable influence over their chosen sibling? No coincidence at all, conspiracy, rather! Haruno Sakura has also committed a serious crime recently," She paused for full effect, "…Assault on a jounin in his own home, massive property damage, breaking and entering a private residence! She chose to appeal to the Kazekage himself to oversee her judgment. And what did he rule?"

The Council members shifted closer in their seats, eager to hear the rest.

"Not guilty of any charge!" Kurosawa said scornfully, "Did I mention the jounin in question had to be taken to hospital for immediate care? I think it is obvious that this girl, if by chance is not a spy, than she is most certainly a liability, a violent, foreign ninja is sure to harm the already fragile alliance between Konoha and Suna – the local people are already afraid she'll turn on them next, destroy their homes, beat them half to death too! Oh and, also, the very first, incredibly basic mission she undertook with her team of genin was an incredible _failure_. She did not even manage to reach her destination before turning back. And somehow, one of the genin suffered a broken leg and the other fell unconscious after being encouraged to use forbidden jutsu by none other than Sakura-no-Chiyu herself. I believe that this dangerous woman should be stripped of her position and sent back to her village. May I have a show of hands of those whom agree?"

Everyone in the room raised their hand.

xxxxxxxx

Kankuro walked down the corridor, hands in his pockets, whistling a happy tune. Temari was awake and doing fine, and Sakura had said Shikamaru was sure to wake up soon too. All in all, Kankuro was quite content, especially after spending so long convinced that they were both going to die.

He had been going to see Shika a lot more recently. Maybe it was the cute way she blew spit bubbles whenever he made faces at her, or perhaps it was the fact that she could now smile her adorable baby smile at him.

He opened the nursery door to find Kanae reading aloud a textbook to Shika, who appeared to be listening intently from her cot.

"Oh!" Kanae flushed at the sight of him, dropping her book and jumping to her feet, "He-hello, Kankuro-san!" As she stood up, a bottle of something fell out of her pocket and rolled over to Kankuro's feet.

He bent down to pick it up.

"No, I'll get it!" Kanae said, panicked, dropping to her knees to make a grab for the bottle.

Kankuro picked it up, looking at the woman oddly, and then examined it. It looked innocuous enough, just a tiny, unlabelled bottle of clear liquid.

He handed it over.

"What is it?" He asked.

"J-just a headache tonic I made." She said shyly, still blushing madly.

"Oh, are you getting headaches?" He asked, concerned.

She paused. "Y-yes," She said, eyes sliding away from him, "Yes, it's for me…"

"Well, I hope it works." Kankuro smiled at her, a little goofily, then moved to coo at Shika.

Kanae looked down at the bottle in her hand and sighed, tucking it back into her pocket securely.

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Damn this chapter took a long time to write. Argh, it's always the hardest one of my stories for some reason…

YAY! Sakura loves Gaara back! And it only took her like, ten more chapters and a timeskip!

We don't like Kurosawa Kazuki, do we? No we don't.

I admit, Sakura's track record is… well, frankly, appalling.

Oh Kanae… What do we think of her, hm? Thank you all very much for telling me how to say her name :) Ka-na-eh. I hope I got that right!

Goodnight, my lovely Scarred Blossoms!

**Quick poll for fun:** If you could see the whole Naruto manga from the perspective of one character, who would it be? (I, for example, would love to read a manga named _Tenten_!)

A) Sakura

B) Shino

C) Gaara

D) Other! Let me know!


	11. Loss Blossoms

Masa walked into the apartment, looking around. Sakura had made sure to buy him some new glasses as they walked through the market, so he looked less vulnerable and young. His injuries had been healed completely, leaving only superficial wounds like the scratch on his face.

The apartment is sparsely furnished, with only the essentials there, nothing personal to make it feel homey. Sakura instantly itched to go buy some rugs and cushions, anything to add a bit of colour to the place. With Masa's face as cold and expressionless as ever, she figured a splash of colour might liven him up. He certainly didn't need to be living in a flat as bare and plain as a prison cell.

Sakura shut the door behind her and turned to him with a grin, "Right! What do you want for dinner?"

Masa spared her a glance and muttered, "Not hungry."

Sakura's grin vanished. Muttering about bratty kids who have no appreciation for their guardians, she gave the oven a look and blew the dust from its surface. This apartment clearly hadn't been used or cleaned in a while.

Masa had disappeared into another room, exploring the apartment, which happened to be much nicer than his old hovel.

"I'm going out to get us food!" She bellowed.

Masa's head poked around the corner, "There's no need to shout," He said irritably, "I'm right here."

"See ya later, brat." Sakura smiled, sticking her tongue out.

Masa looked away, grumbling something under his breath, but he still said, "Get me something that tastes good, sensei."

Progress, Sakura thought happily, leaving with a jaunty wave, ignoring his eye roll.

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Later, after Masa had informed her acidly that she _could not cook_ and in future he'd be the one making the meals, they sat together on the settee and experienced an exceedingly awkward silence.

"So…" Sakura said brightly, searching for a suitable topic that this prickly preteen wouldn't mind talking about.

"You want to know about my father." Masa said unenthusiastically.

Sakura looked at him, startled.

"Well, only if you want to talk about it." She smiled encouragingly.

He rolled his eyes again, "There's nothing to talk about. He was strict and he wanted me to be a good shinobi. The only way to learn is by doing, that's what he always said. He trained me a lot," He spread his hands across his stomach, where Sakura remembered finding a sickly-coloured bruise; "I suppose he was too hard sometimes."

Sakura hid a frown behind her hand, not wanting to make her anger obvious. His father was more than 'too hard,' he was a monster.

"How is he?" Masa asked with a little sideways glance, his body tensing as she spoke.

"Being healed." She answered abruptly, "He'll be fine."

"What's going to happen to him?"

Sakura drew her legs up on the sofa, sighing, "He'll be put on trial for assaulting you and then he'll probably go to prison."

Masa wiped his mouth, grimacing, "It's my fault. I… I say things," he stared at the carpet, swallowing, looking bitterly ashamed of what he was admitting; "I mocked him a lot. I was rude, talked back. I provoked him. What was he supposed to do?"

Sakura covered her face with her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Not that, Masa. He should never have hit you. In Konoha, parents don't hurt their children, especially not shinobi. I'll admit there have been times you've said things that have annoyed me, but I've never wanted to hit you because of it. I'd never hit a child, because it's wrong. You didn't deserve him hurting you, no matter what you did."

Masa chewed on his lips, shaking his head, "I've gotten him into a lot of trouble…"

Sakura poked him, grinning widely at his outraged expression. "Look, kiddo, how about I go out and find you some pudding? I won't make it, don't worry. While I'm gone, you can read any of the books I packed," She pointed at the selection of cardboard boxes they still hadn't unpacked, "Or go out and do whatever it is you like to do, OK? Except train. You need to rest today."

"Kiddo." Masa repeated flatly.

"Kiddo." Sakura nodded firmly.

Masa sneered at her but as he turned away, she caught the edge of a smirk on his face and she smiled.

Progress.

She was just gathering up some money when there was a brisk knock at the door.

Frowning, she looked up, meeting Masa's eyes. Who could know she was here, seeing as she and Masa had only just moved in?

She discreetly checked the chakra of the visitor. Regular, without any unusual readings. Just a civilian, then. Phew.

She opened the door to reveal a man in standard Suna messenger garb holding an official-looking letter. It was encased in a thick envelope and embossed with the seal of the Council. She ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach and took the letter, even giving the man a small tip for his troubles. But her mind was firmly stuck on what the Council could possibly want.

Bizarrely, she became irrationally convinced that they knew about her and Gaara and were sending the official list of rules a Kazekage's partner had to follow. The reason why her mind immediately jumped to that was the fact that the village had, for several years in fact, suspected their relationship was more than platonic. She remembered Kanae's father's words.

Masa watched her warily as she slit the envelope open with the edge of a kunai, backing up to sit on the counter as she read.

Her eyes scanned over the vaguely polite greeting, the heading, the date, until she reached the meat of the letter, a neat little paragraph.

_Haruno Sakura, it is with the greatest regret that we inform you that your position as assistant to the __**Godaime Kazekage**__ is no longer valid. There is a full, detailed report as to why your place has been made newly available attached to this letter. By the authority of the Council, granted by the Sandaime Kazekage, you will be given one month before you will be deported back to Konoha. __**Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha**__ has been sent a duplicate copy of this letter. We offer our sincere apologies that you could not fulfil your contracted time in Suna, but trust that you understand._

Underneath was a mass of signatures from the Council members, a conspicuous gap where the Kazekage's name would normally be written, indicating Gaara had no part in this.

Sakura ripped open the envelope, not even hearing the concerned noise Masa made.

She read carefully, certain phrases leaping out at her.

…_leadership of the genin team hereby withdrawn…custody of former student, __**Suzuki Masa**__, revoked…_

…_privileges withdrawn… flat ownership annulled, for details of compensation for loss of said property, see bottom of page…_

…_position as jounin sensei of Suna cancelled, status returns to jounin… the position of Senior Nurse is no longer valid…_

…_you are no longer a resident of Suna, and will undertake no missions in the time you have left… you will not be permitted to continue working in Suna Hospital and your patients have been left in the care of another nurse…_

…_you will be given a stipend to fund your basic needs in this last month, and though the residence you were assigned no longer belongs to you, you are granted permission to reside in it until you are due to leave…._

Sakura's hand covered her mouth in utter shock and disbelief. She felt stupidly dazed and light-headed. She was being _kicked out of Suna_. The Council had taken great care to remove every tie she had to Suna, ensuring there was nothing keeping her there, no responsibility she could claim called her to stay, nothing preventing them from shipping her out as soon as possible. Her months' notice. She felt sick.

They obviously had no idea that there was one very big thing keeping her here and he wore the Kazekage robes like armour and wielded enough power to overturn any decision the Council made. Konoha's Council was different in that they had been more like advisors to the Sandaime, though they had been able to overrule him on rare occasions. They were thorns in Tsunade's side, insisting she couldn't overlook the village's expenditure, etc.

But Suna's Council had authority on their own and they'd made it clear they disliked having foreign ninja on their payroll. Whilst Gaara always listened to what they had to say on any matter, on occasion he would firmly pull rank on them and ignore their demands.

Sakura's face burned as she put the papers down on the side next to her. Gaara would undoubtedly be furious, enough to overturn their orders completely, reinstating her position as his assistant, Senior Nurse and jounin sensei, not to mention giving her back whatever had been taken from her.

And his credibility as a fair, impartial authority figure would be gone. From what Sakura had seen of the Council's reasoning, they had twisted certain situations to reflect poorly on Sakura and had hinted that she could be considered something of a threat as far as the village was concerned. The Council had every right to send her home early if they felt her presence endangered Suna (and she was forced to recall years ago, Akatsuki had entered Suna to look for her more than once) and given that she had just assaulted a man in his own home, her position was looking bleak.

If Gaara chose to ignore the Council's concerns simply to keep Sakura at his side for more than a month, it would surely become obvious _why._

She couldn't allow his feelings for her to threaten his position as Kazekage. His village loved him, but the only person on the Council that shared that immense admiration for him was Kurosawa, who was absolutely anti-Sakura. The rest of the Council considered him dangerous, even after everything. They'd tried to nix the plan to save him from Akatsuki, after all. If they withdrew their support, Gaara would be left vulnerable to being displaced.

She was always going to have to leave eventually. Tsunade wasn't going to put up with her _accidentally_ lingering. After she and Gaara had finally gotten together, she had vaguely hoped she could request a permanent citizenship in Suna, and see if she actually knew anything about dating, considering she'd lived alone for most of her adult life, not wanting to hurt Gaara's feelings. And, she realised, she hadn't really looked at anyone in that way since she'd nipped her crush on Sasuke in the bud back in that cell he'd been put in.

Being deported was certainly going to put a dampener on their burgeoning relationship.

"Sensei." Masa's voice was flat, demanding answers.

She looked up at him, heart sinking in her chest.

"I promise you won't have to go back to your father." She said as reassuringly and confidently as possible. Gaara at least, should have that power after she'd gone back to Konoha.

Masa's expression hardened.

xxxxxxxx

As it turns out, Gaara was not furious.

He was incandescent with sheer rage, spitting fury and incredulity.

"_How_ could this happen?" He asked through gritted teeth, glaring at nothing in particular, shoving his hands deep into the folds of his robes, presumably to prevent her seeing how they had clenched into fists.

"I have a bad record," Sakura shrugged, trying to appear casual even as the veins in Gaara's neck bulged out in a way she had never seen before, "It's not a big deal, I was always going to have to leave anyway –"

"You aren't going to leave." Gaara snapped.

Sakura fell silent, startled.

"I'm going to fix this and then you won't have to."

"No." She said firmly, trying to regain control over the conversation, "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I only had a few months left in Suna and there is no point or logic in taking on the Council just to allow me to stay a little longer."

Gaara was looking at her as though he had never seen him before, "Do you want to leave?"

She bit her lip, not liking where this was going, "No, but I have to, I have a duty to Konoha –"

"What about your duty to Suna?"

"I don't – I mean… I'm being deported… I can't stay…"

"You will!" Gaara's fist thumped down on the edge of his desk, his knuckles cracking on the wood with an audible _crunch_. Sakura flinched. He didn't seem to notice his injury, carrying on, "You love me back now. I've waited years. There is no reason for you to leave. Shikamaru –" Here he faltered, something dark flickering over his features at the thought of his comatose friend, "… Shikamaru married Temari and he lives here now. You can do the same."

It occurred to Sakura that she had just been proposed to (albeit in Gaara's usual roundabout, unromantic way) and it was going to kill her to say no.

"I'm not supposed to be here any longer than my contract dictates, Gaara. Tsunade would have both of our heads if I stayed. I think the best thing to do would be for me to go home for a few months and then send a letter appealing to the Council to allow me to come back to Suna on a trial basis –"

"You don't want to be with me." Gaara said flatly, his nostrils flared, his jaw clenched to prevent vitriol spilling out, even though the strain of keeping his anger in was clearly taking its toll on his control.

"That isn't it," Sakura said, frustrated, "What's wrong with you lately?"

The sand scratched against the inside of the gourd. A muscle in his jaw leapt.

It was then that Sakura noticed his pallor – his skin was even paler than usual and he was sweating, even though the hot climate barely even affected him.

"Hey, are you alright?" She tried to catch his darting eye, hands shooting out to hold his shoulders, wanting to secure him somehow despite how jumpy and disconnected he seemed.

He sagged underneath her grip and she suddenly had to seize him before he could hit the ground in a dead faint.

She muttered a curse, frantically laying him on the ground and checking the obvious signs first to see if he was just dehydrated or feverish.

Then, finding nothing clear on the surface, she spread her hands over his chest and used her chakra to pinpoint what had caused the Kazekage to collapse so quickly.

There! In his bloodstream, a foreign liquid. As her chakra immediately swarmed the affected areas, her breath hitched in realisation.

Michiko had once used similar poison. It was not the drug used on Sakura and the others as she feared, but the poison that had been slowly killing the high-ranking soldiers of Suna, giving them hallucinations and thus removing all threat of them having enough credibility to report that they felt worse after they were given medication.

A knock on the door startled her, making her hand reach for her kunai holster automatically. She breathed out slowly, standing up and moving towards the door, casting a worried glance in Gaara's direction.

She opened the door to reveal Kurosawa with several men Sakura didn't recognise standing behind her. Kankuro stood with Temari leaning heavily against him, in civilian clothing but still looking by no means fit enough to be walking around.

Upon seeing their brother on the ground, they both leapt forward and jostled for position of checking his vital signs, Kankuro checking his brother's pulse with a shaking hand and Temari reaching over to lift his eyelids carefully.

"He was poisoned." Sakura said hastily, worry creeping into her voice at the sight of him lying on the floor, skin the colour of a corpse.

Temari gave her an odd look.

"We know that," Kurosawa frowned at Sakura, "A member of staff reported a problem not long ago, claiming Kazekage-sama was slowly being poisoned with this," She held up a bottle of tonic, identical to the one Kanae had been –

Sakura's eyes widened.

"But how did you know that?" Kurosawa asked suspiciously, "We were only just informed of this."

"He collapsed in front of me, I found the poison –"

"It was you who made him these tonics, isn't it?" Kurosawa looked angry, "You are the medical specialist, the herbal expert. You are the one in charge of keeping the Kazekage safe and you do this? You must have been angry about your mission being cut short. I _knew_ you were dangerous, but no one listened to me. Take her away."

She didn't even have to look at her men, they all just moved for Sakura at once.

Sakura looked behind her as she backpedalled, barely managing to avoid stepped on Gaara's chest, Kankuro and Temari clearly not hearing the conversation going on, both of them focused on their brother.

"I didn't make it, I swear –" She started to insist as one of the men reached towards her. She was cut off by his hand clumsily trying to pinch a cluster of nerves in her neck and, realising resisting arrest would only make things worse, she obligingly allowed him to knock her out painfully, only just aware of Kankuro and Temari's immediate protests as she lost consciousness.

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Kurosawa sat at her desk, peering at the woman sitting opposite, who was fidgeting in her chair restlessly.

Kanae smoothed back her short hair with shaking hands, brown eyes big and worried.

"So," Kurosawa said, "You wanted to see me?"

"W-well, yes," Kanae started, shifting in her seat, "What with the Kazekage indisposed, I didn't know who to talk to about this."

Kurosawa smiled at Kanae, clearly trying to look encouraging, "You came to the right woman. What's wrong?"

"The headache tonics," Kanae blurted out, "I made them for the Kazekage. He'd been getting bad migraines for months now, he didn't want it to affect his work, or for Sakura-san, um, Sakura, to worry," Kanae broke off, looking at her hands twisting in her lap. She looked miserable, "Sakura's my friend. I can't let her be blamed for this. She didn't do anything!"

"Are you saying you were the one who poisoned the Kazekage?" Kurosawa began to glare at the other woman, a suspicious glint in her eyes.

"No! I don't understand, I made the tonics but I swear I didn't use any poisonous ingredients! The headache tonic, the sleep aid, I only used normal herbs! I can't understand it!" Kanae started to cry, "M-maybe I made a mistake, maybe it _was_ my fault."

"The nurses say that, as far as they can tell, Kazekage-sama was poisoned steadily over a period of a few months, leading him to have mood swings and affecting his control. It could have killed him. This is very serious, Kanae-san," Kurosawa leaned forward in her chair, a worried frown puckering her forehead, "can you prove that you made these tonics, and that none of the ingredients could have caused the Kazekage harm?"

"Oh yes," Kanae said, brightening up, "I can show you the ingredients I use, take you through the process of making it, my mother taught me, you see, and I've given it to a few people in my village when they had aches and pains and it never once hurt anyone –"

"Kanae-san," Kurosawa interrupted, opening one of the desk drawers. She shook her head sadly, "It's already been proven that it was the tonics. Not only that, but our informant assures it that it was Sakura-sama's doing, not yours. For all we know, she showed you how to make it and now, as her friend, you want to take the blame for her actions."

"No!" Kanae insisted, "Sakura would never hurt the Kazekage, ask anyone who knows her, her Hokage will vouch for her, I'm sure of it."

Kurosawa stood up, moving towards the other woman. She stood behind her chair, resting her hands on Kanae's shoulders, "It's a shame, really. You seem like a kind woman, but you are biased in Sakura-sama's favour. Sakura-sama is to blame and she will be punished for this crime."

"No, I promise you –"

Kanae was cut off by the needle entering her neck. She gasped, clutching her neck, eyes bulging out.

Kurosawa bent down to meet the woman's eyes, "This dose will prove fatal in three days. You will be unconscious, so please, don't worry about pain. You were quite right about the tonics, by the way. I used the Kazekage's food instead. As far as Suna knows, Sakura-sama _is_ to blame and she _will_ be punished for this crime."

Kanae heard the woman whisper, "Goodnight," just as the pain in her neck increased sharply and her vision spotted, the light of the room melting away into darkness.

Kurosawa watched impassively as the woman fell from her chair, smacking her head off the table's leg, soon beginning to bleed profusely.

She cursed, making a note to clean up the mess before showing anyone else into her office. She opened her door. Three 'volunteers' stood waiting patiently outside, the same men who had carried Sakura into a cell, ignoring Kankuro and Temari's angry protests. One of them had been forced to defend himself when Kankuro tried to physically intervene.

She clicked her fingers and they obediently filed into her room.

"Take this to the outskirts of Suna and leave her for the buzzards." Kurosawa pointed to the woman lying on the floor.

They barely blinked, one of them picking Kanae up and hauling her over his shoulder, all of them forming seals for instant transportation.

"Oh and," Kurosawa smiled at them. It was an unpleasant sort of smile, "don't be seen by anyone who can't be replaced."

They nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kurosawa put the syringe back into the desk drawer, shaking her head sadly, "What a waste," She muttered to herself, "I'll need to order more soon."

One threat down.

* * *

><p>This took so freaking long to write. Argh.<p>

By the way, my laptop is boiling hot all the time now and constantly emits a high-pitched drone. Not a good sign, guys :S

Twisty twist is twisty. Kurosawa, hm?

Gaara has been poisoned, Sakura has been imprisoned for it and the only person who could help is dying in the desert.

Poor Kanae. Bit of a bait and switch thing going on here, I tried hard to make Kanae the most suspicious character, and kept Kurosawa mostly anonymous, just an irritant for Sakura to argue with :) I hope it worked!

For everyone who wondered why Gaara was acting so emotional and kept losing control all the time, it was because of the poison, it was intended to mess with his head as well as eventually kill him.

Poor Masa.

**Quick poll for fun: **Who is your favourite main character of any book?

No suggestions.

For example, mine is a toss-up between Cassandra of _I Capture the Castle_ and September from _The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making_.

I ask this poll because writing main characters can be difficult because your own voice or opinions often creep into the perspective of the main character, making their personality just a copy of your own. It's hard to find charismatic, likeable main characters who have just as much charm as the secondary characters.


	12. Rebellion Blossoms

The heat of the desert was oppressive. It was like a weight settled on her back, stinging her exposed hands and legs. She couldn't see much, just an endless blue sky above and the haze of heat hanging in the air all around her. A bird somewhere up above cawed.

She dropped her head back down in the burning sand, resting one cheek on the shifting, scratching floor to look to the right.

She was alone.

Her mouth was bone dry. She couldn't summon even a drop of saliva to wet her sand-encrusted lips. How long can a person survive in this heat? I don't belong here. This is a sign.

She stretched out a hand, fingers scraping helplessly against the ground, reaching out for someone. Anyone.

She remembered a child's laugh, high and distinctive. She could almost see the small figure of Shika standing before her, the shadow of a baby at his feet.

She strained to reach them, "Shika –" She managed to whisper, her voice hoarse and spent.

Go home, she longed to say. It's not safe here.

That woman – that woman could come back –

Her head ached. She didn't have the energy to clutch it, but feared she'd find blood if she did.

Her fingers, pink and raw from the sun, stretched out desperately.

I'm going to die, she thought with unnerving calm.

The shadow children flickered when she blinked, and were gone.

It struck her that now she was truly on her own.

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"So you think Sakura was behind Gaara's poisoning," Temari began, already pissed off beyond restraint, "and do you imagine she also drugged me? And my husband?"

"No," The councilwoman, Kurosawa, said with a sympathetic smile. She dropped some files on her desk and shuffled them about, "Apparently, the poison used on the Kazekage is not the same as the drug used on both yourself and your husband. Sakura is only accused of the one count of murder, not two."

"Two?" Temari frowned.

"Oh, I do apologise," Kurosawa laughed, "I counted your husband without thinking. But he's still alive, isn't he? That's something, at least."

Temari stared at her.

"…When is Gaara going to wake up?" She asked, feeling exhausted, both from the hour's events and the drug still weakly coursing through her system despite Sakura's best purging efforts.

"We don't know yet if he ever will," Kurosawa said sadly, "It seems like this poison was a long-term thing that has only just taken effect. It may be that he wakes up today, or passes away in his sleep."

Temari bit the back of her hand and turned around abruptly.

"At least we have the criminal already awaiting justice," Kurosawa chimed in from behind her, evidently trying to sound comforting, "Sakura-sama will have to answer for her actions."

At this, Temari turned to give the woman a cold glare, uncaring that tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Sakura would never do this. I, as the victim's own sister, and I'm sure our brother, will make statements attesting her innocence and I believe we will be heeded. After all, the Council is a fair and just system. They will surely be willing to listen to the Kazekage's siblings." Temari stared right into the woman's eyes, making her back up slightly.

"Of course, of course," She said brightly, "The Council always listens to both sides. But surely you are aware that you and your brother may be found to be biased in favour of –"

"Do you have a personal issue with Sakura?" Temari asked bluntly.

"Of course not," Kurosawa looked wounded, "I have always only ever had the deepest admiration for Sakura-sama."

"You tried to get her deported." Temari said in clipped, angry tones.

"That was the Council's unanimous decision and certainly not a personal issue of my own." Kurosawa said smoothly, "I think if you check the records you will note that –"

Temari glanced down at the floor by chance as the woman spoke, and caught a glimpse of a little pool of red staining the carpet.

Huh.

Blood. Quite fresh, too, by looks of it.

Interesting.

"I'm going to go visit my brother." Temari announced.

Kurosawa looked slightly confused, "Right. Well, I assume this little meeting is - ?"

"Off the record," Temari grunted, "I wouldn't want to interfere with Sakura's case."

"Great," Kurosawa gushed, "I hope the Kazekage gets well soon."

"And my husband?" Temari raised a cold, unimpressed eyebrow at the other woman.

She wilted, wringing her hands together, "Of course, of course," She said with decidedly less enthusiasm, "I hope he wakes up soon."

"So do I," Temari muttered, leaving the room hurriedly, "So do I."

xxxxxxxx

"No one in Suna is on Sakura's side," Kankuro explained, sprinting through the sand so quickly he barely felt his feet touch the floor with each step, "I knew you guys were on a mission, and I knew you were her teammates. Gaara's… he's in a bad way. Sakura's been blamed for everything."

Hatake nodded but the Uchiha scowled, running at full speed stubbornly even as sweat coursed down his face.

"Sakura would never do this," The Uchiha snapped, his pretty face flushed pink, "This Council of yours needs replacing."

Hatake gave the Uchiha a glance.

The younger man's scowl darkened, "Sakura is a _medic_. She isn't –"

"Some people are saying she's been planted by the Hokage to poison the Kazekage." Kankuro snorted.

"And took years to get round to doing it?" Hatake mused thoughtfully. He was faring better than his former student, no stains from sweat forming on _his_ clothes, no hints of tired limbs or lethargy. At a guess, Kankuro would say he was either using some jutsu to keep himself cool or he had some kind of freaky Anbu training.

Gaara had been in love with Sakura since pretty much the first day she'd wandered into Suna and collapsed after working herself too hard. They had a surprising amount of things in common, she looked pretty in a kimono, she could handle herself in a fight, she was a magnet for trouble, she was kind, intelligent and pretty much everything guaranteed to make Gaara fall head over heels for her.

But, because real life was kind of shit, she didn't love him back. Sometimes, after Gaara had redeemed himself, Kankuro cursed fate for fucking his little brother over so severely so many times in his childhood that he nearly went off the rails completely, but after Temari told him what had happened between Gaara and the nice, friendly Haruno Sakura, he told fate to go fuck itself. Dangling happiness under Gaara's nose then yanking it away was too cruel for him to bear.

Despite Sakura not returning Gaara's feelings, Kankuro knew exactly how much she cared about him. There wasn't a chance he was going to allow her to be convicted for such crap.

"Oh – we're near Suna now." He spotted the wall surrounding the village, a familiar sight from every approaching angle for him. This desert was as much home as the village for Kankuro. He knew it just as surely as Shikamaru knew the layout of Nara Forest.

The Uchiha blinked rapidly, his single eye red when he opened it, and he stared at a corner of the desert with his freaky Sharingan. He narrowed his eye.

"Hmm?" Hatake turned to look at what had caught the Uchiha's attention, pulling his hitae-ate up.

"Oh –" Hatake said, just as the Uchiha began to sprint away.

Kankuro was stunned as both Sharingan-users suddenly tore off, swearing in shock as sand whipped in his eyes in the two ninjas' wake.

He came to his senses and charged after them, cursing a blue streak all the way.

The Uchiha dropped to his knees suddenly, next to a dark, crumpled mass of fabric in the sand and Kankuro screwed up his eyes, sharp from years of bright sunshine and long scouting missions.

He reached the Uchiha just as Hatake let out a shout of concern, and he shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, coming to stand next to the younger nin and –

"It's a woman." Hatake swore sharply, sounding stunned.

Kanae lay in the sand, one hand stretched hopelessly out towards the horizon, her face bare to the sun's harsh attention. Her skin was badly burnt, flaking off, leaving new, raw skin visible. Her eyes were closed, shadows cast over the lids like the hollows of a skull.

Kankuro felt the world grow very quiet all around him, the buzzards above falling silent, Hatake and the Uchiha's urgent mutters growing faint. Bad conditions in the desert today, he thought dazedly, bone-dry without a lick of wind. Bad day to die in a desert.

"Is she alive?" He asked numbly, just as Hatake's fingers fluttered at her raw, burnt neck.

He answered by taking out his water pack and wetting her lips with his finger.

Kankuro bent down and covered his hand over the pack, feeling confused and just a little bit frightened, but somehow felt like this was his responsibility.

"I'll do that." He said, shaken, and emptied some water in his palm. Hatake rocked backwards on his heels, watching him like a hawk with both eyes. The Uchiha was studying the harsher burns on Kanae's wrist.

He gently covered Kanae's mouth with his wet palm, coating her dry lips.

She lay there in the sand, just his age, endearingly fond of children, awkward yet unfailingly polite, especially nervous around him, a girl he'd just been getting to know well…

An awful suspicion flickered in his mind, and he tipped her head to the side carefully.

A shallow needle mark, hastily administered. The drug.

He, in a sudden fit of emotion, put his hands in her hair and felt something odd.

Hatake saw it first and moved her head gently, peering at the back of her head. Congealed blood drying in her hair.

Kankuro let out a ragged gasp and removed his hands. He covered his mouth with a trembling hand, feeling shockingly close to tears for the first time in what seemed like years.

Murder?

"They've killed her…" He muttered, eyes welling up.

The Uchiha looked up at the sun, frowning.

Hatake once again ghosted his fingers over her pulse. "Not yet, they haven't." He declared.

"What?" Kankuro stared at him.

"She'll live, if we get her back to Suna _now._"

xxxxxxxx

"Baa-chan, baa-chan!"

"Do _not_ call me that when we're working, idiot."

"Well, I'm not gonna call you Hokage-sama!"

"No one asked you too!"

"Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto stuck his tongue out.

"You. Are. Twenty. Years. Old," Tsunade gritted out, furious, "And my successor. Do _not_ refer to me as 'baa-chan.'"

"Heh, baa-chan, it's your fault for picking me to succeed you! But now," Naruto straightened up, his tone becoming serious and grown-up despite the childish argument he'd just been having. He tugged at the cloth around his neck, his honorary Hokage robes still loose on him, "I think it's time Sakura-chan came home, right? Suna's a good place and I trust Gaara but… she's suffered too much here."

Tsunade regarded her ward, noting his uncharacteristically solemn face.

"Sakura can make that choice for herself. But in the meantime, let's go get her out of that cell."

Naruto nodded, grinning like a kid again.

A jounin with half his face badly scarred ran up to them, tripping into a deep bow, "Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-sama, how may I help you?"

Noticing Naruto giggling at being spoken to so respectfully, Tsunade rolled her eyes and stepped forward, "I believe one of my shinobi, a jounin named Haruno Sakura, is being detained in this facility. I am here to see here."

"Um, well, the Council have ordered for her not to have any visitors –"

"Well, I am _ordering_ you to take me to her immediately." Tsunade glared at him.

The jounin paled and practically skipped on the spot, "Yes, of course Hokage-sama, right this way!"

"Not long now," Naruto followed the man, nodding at Tsunade, "We'll get Sakura-chan out soon, right?"

Tsunade's lips pressed together, swallowing her words before she could deflate Naruto's optimism with her cynical thoughts. In truth, her own opinion on the subject was far less positive than her protégé's.

Sakura stood accused of attempting to murder the Kazekage of all people – a man Tsunade knew for a fact Sakura held in the highest esteem - despite the fact that anyone who spent more than two seconds in her company would instantly realise she could never betray anyone, let alone a friend. She had often got in trouble for her compassionate approach to shinobi life.

"We'll do everything in our power." She said finally, striding through the doorway and down some steps, following the jounin on the way to Sakura.

"Um, right this way," The jounin said awkwardly, stumbling down the dark hallway, nodding at one of the guards in a rapid, embarrassed fashion, "Her cell is down here."

"Sakura-chan doesn't like the dark." Naruto lamented as they reached the door at the end of the hall.

The jounin touched the door, then nearly dropped the keys in fright when it suddenly pulsed blue with chakra.

"Oh, right." He said, flustered, and inserted the keys in the lock after breaking the ward with a quick hand seal and muttered jutsu.

The door swung open to reveal Sakura idly picking at her scarred arm.

"Sakura, I told you not to do that." Tsunade chided automatically, having always hated her student's habit of picking, scratching or simply just staring at her scars.

Sakura jumped up upon hearing her old master's voice, removing her hand from her arm as though scalded. She stared at her two old friends in the doorway guiltily for a second, then seemed to remember where she was.

"Oh! Tsunade-sama! Naruto! What are you –"

"We came to rescue you!" Naruto declared, pointing at her dramatically.

The jounin coughed, "Um, please don't attempt to take Sakura-sama away from her cell or I will be… f-forced to detain you…"

"I mean, come on! You'd never try to kill Gaara!" Naruto snorted incredulously, seeming not to notice the jounin's meek attempts to rein him in.

"Tsunade-sama, I need to tell you – it's Gaara, he's –"

"We know he's been poisoned and everyone thinks it was you." Naruto said helpfully.

"No, look, Tsunade-sama they won't let me extract the poison and none of the other Suna nurses could ever do it as accurately as me, _please_ go and help him, I can't –"

"Calm down." Tsunade put a hand on her shoulder, "You're saying instead of deporting you back to Konoha to avoid you getting convicted or worse, executed, I should be heading to Suna Hospital right now to save that little Kazekage brat who happens to be the one who got you into all this mess?"

"Yes." Sakura said firmly, gazing steadily at the Hokage, "I love him, Tsunade-sama."

"Well, obviously -" Tsunade started to say, rolling her eyes.

"_WHAT_?! SINCE WHEN?" Naruto yelled, his expression torn between utter confusion and outrage.

The jounin was listlessly fiddling with the door keys, trying hard not to listen to the conversation.

"Recently, I guess?" Sakura made a face, "Does it matter? Tsunade-sama, I need you to do this for me. I can't lose him, not now."

Tsunade gave her an evil smirk, "I want an invite to the wedding."

Naruto let out a gasp, "You're getting _married_ and you didn't _invite me yet?_"

"The Kazekage marrying Sakura-no-Chiyu," The jounin mused aloud, unnoticed by the occupants of the cell, "I bet they'd throw a party. That'd be nice."

"No, you idiot!" Sakura made to punch Naruto but he gleefully dodged.

"Well, I don't see why not," Naruto looked disgruntled, "You've known him for ages and I like him."

"Because he's the Kazekage of Sunagakure, married to his job and his people, the leader of a village full of citizens who hate foreigners, he's been my boss for years now, it would be massively inappropriate for anything to happen between us, it could jeopardize my credibility as his assistant and oh yeah, how could I forget, _I'm currently locked in this damn cell because everyone thinks I tried to kill him._" Sakura said angrily, "I don't think it would work out between us."

The jounin stared at the ceiling and wondered absently what he was going to have for dinner.

"Well, not with that attitude." Tsunade said after a beat.

Sakura growled in frustration.

"Look," Tsunade gave her a rueful smile, "I know this placement in Suna hasn't worked out very well so far, but I'm going to fix this. Don't worry about it. Just sit tight and wait."

Sakura stared at her dubiously.

"I think I've had chicken too much this month." The jounin considered his options, nodding to himself, clearly deep in thought.

The rest of them stared at him, bewildered.

xxxxxxxx

Gaara looked exactly as dead as he had that one time in which he actually was dead, Naruto thought eloquently, gazing at the unconscious form of his friend.

At least he was in a hospital bed this time, not cradled in Naruto's lap as he shouted recriminations at old people.

Tsunade's arms were wet from the elbow down for no reason that Naruto could see, but it looked impressive as she bent over the Kazekage.

"He is gonna be OK, right, baa-chan?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"I don't know yet." Tsunade glared him into silence. She always hated being interrupted, but Naruto still resented her sternness.

She spread her hands over Gaara's still, pale form, chakra glowing intensely.

"Ah," Her breath caught as her hands passed over something. She focused, frowning slightly, and brought the poison to the surface with her chakra, "There. If he survives another hour without this in his system, he should live."

Naruto jumped up from where he'd been sitting on the hospital counter, "Really? That's great!"

He peered over Tsunade's shoulder as she poured the poison into a flask and slipped it within her robes.

"Any updates on the Kazekage's condition?" A small, well-groomed woman came to stand over Gaara, looking deeply concerned.

Tsunade glanced at her, raising a pale eyebrow, and turned around, her hands empty.

"He should be fine now, assuming he doesn't consume anything else poisonous for… well, the rest of his life, if possible." Tsunade said dryly.

The woman smiled, paling slightly, "Fine? Are you quite sure?"

"I said so, didn't I?" Tsunade responded tartly.

"He is?" Another voice asked from the doorway of Gaara's hospital room.

"Yes, but I might not be if people keep questioning my ability to cure people." Tsunade turned to give the speaker a sardonic look to move them on, then realised who it was with a familiar feeling of oh-look-I-might-have-offended-someone-important-again.

The Kazekage's siblings stood in the doorway, gazing at their little brother with equal measures of concern and hope on their faces.

"He'll be fine." She said, in a slightly softer voice then before.

Naruto beamed at them.

Temari immediately relaxed and she laid her head on Kankuro's shoulder, smiling wearily, "Oh, thank God." She breathed out, looking relieved beyond measure.

Kankuro still looked wretched, oddly enough. He walked over to Tsunade and bowed deeper than she'd assumed possible for a resident of Suna.

"Hokage-sama, thank you for saving my brother. But, please… there's someone else…"

"Someone else has been poisoned?" She asked, alarmed.

"No, I don't think so… she was drugged, and left in the desert. I found her and brought her here but… she's not woken up yet." Kankuro stared at the ground, his jaw working furiously.

The little, neat-looking woman slipped out of the room.

"The drug I was sent a sample of?" Tsunade asked, looking sheepish, "I didn't actually have time to examine it yet, so I can't make an antidote… Doesn't Sakura have some left?"

"I don't know…" Kankuro said hopelessly, "There can't be an antidote… I thought she'd just healed Temari, but I guess Shikamaru hasn't woken up yet."

"Hasn't he?" Tsunade gave Temari a sharp look, "Interesting. So, we need Sakura for this, but I doubt The Council will release her to perform healing duties –"

"The Council have imprisoned Sakura?" Gaara asked, his voice rough.

Naruto jumped a mile, turning to gasp at Gaara as you would a dead body suddenly reaching up and groping you.

"_Gaara_." Temari stared at her little brother, eyes wide.

"Whatever's going on," Gaara struggled to sit up, looking balefully at Tsunade, "You better make sure Sakura is freed immediately."

Tsunade twitched.

"I just saved your life." She informed him, sounding as though she was restraining herself from adding _brat_ at the end of that sentence.

"Thank you." He said blandly, "Now what's happened to Sakura?"

"Are you two really getting married?" Naruto asked hopefully, having to hold himself back from jumping on Gaara's bed and bouncing like a kid out of glee at his friend waking up.

Gaara's face became blanker, somehow. He looked upwards, clearly thinking hard.

Temari and Kankuro instantly morphed into matchmaker mode, both forming shit-eating grins that siblings wore so well.

"…I suppose she never said no." Gaara said finally.

"Oh, fuck." Kakashi said from the window, looking as surprised as they did that he had suddenly spoken.

Sasuke was squashed next to him, both of them perched on the window sill. His face was like thunder.

"Oh!" Kankuro looked outraged, "I forgot about you two! You ran off!"

"We," Kakashi said lightly, "had work to do."

Gaara stared at them. After a few seconds, he used his Anbu-beckoning hand gesture, seemingly automatically.

Elite ninja did not fall from the ceiling, as they usually did.

Gaara stared upwards broodingly.

"We were getting The Council to sign an appeal to get Sakura released, should the Kazekage, an equally high-standing citizen or a member of his family choose to add their signature." Kakashi smiled at the occupants of the room.

"So," He said, looking at the Kazekage, Hokage, her successor-in-training and the Kazekage's siblings, "Who wants to sign first?"

* * *

><p>Um, yeah.<p>

Massive gap between chapters.

Again.

I suck, please don't stone me in recrimination! I don't like the druggy stoning, let alone the biblical sort!

A heck of a lot happened in this chapter. Considering I am posting this when I should have gone to sleep five minutes ago and I am faintly swaying at the moment, it is probably an incoherent mess of ridiculousness.

So yeah, Naruto and Tsunade were supposed to be there for a heartwarming pep talk for Sakura, as well as a bit more angst thrown in, and yet they just showed up to troll her in her cell, it seems XD

Kakashi and Sasuke did remain undetected on the windowsill of the Kazekage's hospital room. _Yes_ they are awesome assassins, but whoever was in charge of his security should be slapping themselves in the face right now for letting them slip by.

That jounin who escorted Naruto and Tsunade down to Sakura's cell morphed into his own character and I still don't know how or why :S

Kankuro found Kanae! And Kurosawa is still at large! And Gaara's awake!

**Quick poll because I said so: **Does anyone, perchance, want Kurosawa to die?

A) Hmm, I don't know about that. We don't know her motives yet.

B) Maybe, I mean, look at poor Kanae!

C) YES KILL THAT FUCKING BITCH SHE POISONED GAARA AND DRUGGED EVERYBODY AND I HATE HER

D) Other! Let me know! :)


	13. Truth Blossoms

The Suna nurses and doctors scurried out of her way as she stormed down the halls, heels clicking imperiously against the tiled floor.

Tsunade stopped outside the room that Kankuro had mentioned was being used to hold the drug victims and gave Naruto a glance. He shrugged.

Inside the room felt colder than the hall, curiously enough. Tsunade took a curious, assessing look around and noted that the window next to Shikamaru's prone form was open.

"I guess Temari or Kankuro left it open," Naruto said, looking down at his unconscious friend, "So he'd see the clouds when he woke up."

Tsunade was not a sentimental woman. She marched over and slammed the window shut, "He can see them through the glass just fine. We don't need the patients freezing on top of dying."

"We're in Suna, baa-chan," Naruto gave her a funny look, "How could they freeze in the desert?"

Tsunade had no reply for that, inwardly annoyed at herself for growing so used to living in a breezy climate, so she turned to Shikamaru to see what could be done.

The boy had grown up during his time in Suna. His skin looked tougher, almost weathered. The bed sheets strained against his muscles. His face was clammy, pinched as if in pain.

When her chakra met his system, she recoiled, her senses shrieking _poison danger getoutgetout_ –

She ripped her hands away as though scalded, breathing heavily. Naruto's hand was at her elbow, "Baa-chan?" He said, his voice soft, worry evident in his tone and touch, "You OK?"

"The drugs in his system have mostly been flushed out," Tsunade replied, glaring at her shaking hands until they stilled, "But someone has been slipping him something to keep him asleep, something very carefully administered. I sensed it because I've been doing this for a long time, but Sakura may have overlooked it."

"…So, can you wake him up?"

"If I can see it, I can remove it. Get me a tray, since all of the nurses here are clearly busy _gossiping in the hallways instead of helping._" She raised her voice in the last half of the sentence, the women in the hall falling silent immediately.

Naruto shrugged, looking like he was fighting the urge to laugh, but retrieved a small, white tray and handed it to her without a word.

The woman in the bed next to Shikamaru's suddenly let out a pained moan. Tsunade flicked an impatient glance her way, not used to having to deal with multiple patients at once without Sakura's quiet competence or Shizune's endless energy.

The woman's face was flaking, red and half-healed of burns. The cream someone had daubed on her skin had dried out to almost nothing, the soothing sensation lost. Still, it meant the woman was awake to outside sensations, a very good sign.

Tsunade made Naruto retrieve some of her own special blend of cream designed for thermal burns from her bag and had him paint it carefully onto the woman's sore-looking face, ignoring his complaints that her skin was 'gross.'

Despite his voiced reluctance to help, when his fingers brushed a raw, still-healing patch of skin and she gave a pained sob, he looked dismayed and murmured something encouraging into her ear.

Meanwhile, Tsunade's fingers twitched over Shikamaru's chest and she slowly moved her hands in rhythmic motions like waves, feeling the poison and drug mingle with her chakra. She flicked her hands upwards and felt the foreign liquids congeal together and break the surface of Shikamaru's skin harmlessly. She deposited the liquid onto the tray Naruto had provided and watched Shikamaru's face intently.

He turned his head, eyes still closed, and breathed in sharply, "T'mari?" He mumbled, hand twitching outward as though reaching for something.

Naruto froze at the sound of his voice, fingers dripping pink cream onto the floor.

"Go get her, Naruto." Tsunade said quietly, smoothing her cool fingers over Shikamaru's fevered brow, "Tell her that her husband is awake."

She heard the door slam shut behind Naruto and the hasty slap of his feet against the floor as he ran, forgetting his shinobi talents as always.

Shikamaru rolled over, his eyes half-open.

xxxxxxxx

Kanae slept fitfully, face contorted in fear as she suffered through a nightmare alone. "No, Akira," She murmured, fists shaking, "Please… run away…"

The hospital room was empty save for her sleeping form, every other bed unoccupied, only a dark heap lying in the corner of the room shared the space.

The door opened soundlessly.

A man entered, a kunai in hand. He shut the door behind him, eyes on the sleeping woman's face. He began to slowly walk over to her, raising the kunai.

"Akira… no! Shika… oh, _please_…" Kanae sobbed, tears trickling over the bridge of her nose and staining her pillow.

The man moved to strike.

The dark heap moved faster.

Blue strings snapped from their victim to their master. Kankuro, Karasu's face cracking away to reveal his enraged expression, broke the man's arm with a twitch of his fingers.

He gave an agonised scream.

"Tell me who sent you. Every second you waste keeping quiet, I'll break another bone. You'll run out of bones before I run out of time, so do yourself a favour and be honest, OK? _Quickly."_ Kankuro growled.

The man blanched and immediately gabbled out, "Kurosawa Kazuki, please don't hurt me!"

Kankuro knocked the man out, trying to match a face to the name. It sounded familiar…

xxxxxxxx

Sakura was remembering the first time she'd been in a cell like this, when she could smell urine and fear in the air and it was like all the coldness in the world had seeped into this one small space. She shivered, remembering Akatsuki.

In the dim light of the cell, her scars were nothing. Her arm was a dark blur. Had it been a stranger's arm, she would never have been able to tell it was scarred. For all she knew, it could be smooth, perfect skin.

She gave a wry grin, feeling the ridges of her scars with her fingertips. She knew the lines like the back of her hand, could trace the burn marks that blended into the missing flesh by memory alone. She imagined healing her skin one day and automatically moving to trace the missing scars with her fingers, and the jolt she'd surely feel at their absence. No, she could never heal them now. They were a part of her, twisted and ugly for sure, but a small piece of what made her fundamentally _Haruno Sakura,_ like Sasuke's Sharingan or Naruto's Kyuubi. She felt as though they made her special, in her own way. She had survived torture. She wore her achievements stamped on her skin.

The cell door flared blue with strong chakra, then keys rattled. She jumped to her feet, squinting in the darkness.

The shinobi who opened the door had severe burn scars on one half of his face, presumably a remnant of an accident from long ago, and he wore an absent smile as he beckoned for someone to enter.

Gaara ducked into the cell, his Kazekage robes swishing about his feet. His pale eyes fell upon Sakura's surprised face, and he allowed himself a small smile.

"I'm gone for one minute and this happens." He shook his head.

"Gaara!" Sakura threw her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his cheek, "You're OK!"

"Of course," He said, as though he hadn't been inches from death the last time she saw him, "The Hokage healed me. You can leave now. Come on."

"The Council knows I'm innocent?"

"There was another case while you were in here. The babysitter," Gaara shook his head, looking solemn, "she was left for dead in the desert, injected with the exact same drug as everyone else."

"Kanae?" Sakura gasped, "_Why_?" She began to say something else, a protest that Kanae would never hurt anyone, when something stopped her. Something itched at the back of her mind. The tonic. The tonic they thought was used to poison Gaara. Had Gaara not just told her Kanae had become a victim of the drug, she would have assumed she was to blame. Now…

_Kanae would never hurt anyone._

_Kanae had become a victim of the drug._

"Something's wrong," She said, frowning, "I have to go talk to someone."

xxxxxxxx

"So how did you know it was the tonic?" Sakura asked Kurosawa, trying not to roll her eyes as the woman immediately puffed up indignantly at the impertinent question.

"We have our sources, Sakura-sama," The woman said primly, "It is hardly proper to discuss them with _you._"

"Look, Kanae doesn't have the expertise to make drugs like that and we both know it wasn't me. So who was it? We've got someone hell-bent on poisoning your precious Kazekage, so why don't you actually _help_ me for a change? It could save his life, and others! This drug is serious stuff, I've never seen anything like it, the ingredients must be foreign at least, maybe Iwa…"

"No, Iwa's plant life is next to non-existent." Kurosawa said absently, "There's no way the blossom could survive there."

Sakura froze.

Kurosawa began to smile, "Yes, they call it 'Desert Blossom.' It grows right here, in the middle of the desert. Mix it with some standard ingredients and suddenly, you have a potent, lethal drug."

Sakura was staring at Kurosawa as though seeing her for the first time, "I… I don't understand…"

"Of course you don't," Kurosawa said pleasantly, "You were never supposed to. You were supposed to die."

"It was _**you**_?" Sakura gasped, eyes wide in astonishment.

Kurosawa gave a thin smile of assent.

"How could you turn against Suna?" Sakura yelled, fingers twitching as the urge to haul this woman against a wall and cause some serious damage nearly overcame her.

"Suna?" Kurosawa suddenly laughed, "I haven't turned against Suna. I turned against the Kazekage."

"But why?" Sakura demanded, "Gaara is one of the most –"

"Spare me," Kurosawa said coldly, holding up a hand, "That man is a monster. I don't need to hear your deluded babble about his supposed 'generosity' or 'kindness.'"

When she saw Sakura was about to protest, she said calmly, her voice low, "I've been a council member since Gaara was a child. I know how Suna has worked before and after he became Kazekage and both times, the Council favoured and protected him, their special, chosen weapon.

"When I had been working there for, oh, I believe about three months, that monster murdered my child for looking at him twice." Kurosawa swallowed, her words coming out wet and muffled as her eyes teared up, "My little girl. She'd be all grown up now. Married, maybe. Happy. Alive. If that wretched, evil _thing_ hadn't been allowed to exist. I went to my fellow councilmen in despair, pleading with them that the boy was dangerous, evil. I told them of my child, how I'd had to bury her that last week. Do you know what they told me? _Your child's death was a necessary sacrifice._ You see, little Gaara was far too important, too vital to the village's safety, to be punished for what he had done. And so for the good of Suna's safety, he was allowed to go around murdering children and adults alike whenever he felt like it, because it was _necessary._ Now my husband's death," She continued, her tone almost conversational, tears streaming down her face, "I can see why that happened. He went up to Gaara, begging him to bring back our little girl. Poor man, he was… he was so delicate after her death. They wouldn't let me see _his_ body. The one that… the one that _really_ got to me was my sister. She was just. Just _there._ There in front of me. And then, then I heard that hiss of sand and then… she wasn't there anymore. All in one year. All gone."

"My daughter's name was Tamiko. She had blue eyes." Kurosawa said quietly, "My husband was called Ren. He always needed a kiss in the mornings to wake him up. My sister… she was Megumi. She was my twin. They were people," She said, her voice careful, precise, "Real, flesh and blood _people_ with hopes and dreams and bad habits and they did not. Deserve. To be treated like, li-like they were _nothing._ Because they were _something_… to me."

Sakura was shaking, her own eyes filling up in sympathy. Her mouth hung open as appalled thoughts ran through her mind, none of them worthy of voicing. There was nothing she could say to make it better.

"So this murderous little child is allowed to grow up and then one day, he becomes our Kazekage. Our leader. Suddenly, everyone around me fell under his spell, admiring him and respecting him, even feeling _grateful_ when he saved the village, as though his valuing their lives mattered. It didn't matter because it wasn't long ago that he was the one _endangering_ their lives. And I was the only one who remembered that, it seemed. Now, as a councilwoman, I answered to _him_. I knew… I knew what would happen to the village if was allowed to rule over it until he died. I knew. And I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't live through that again. Blood in the streets… no. I couldn't. So I made a plan. I funded an organisation to kill off high-ranking officials, knowing they were simply fanatics with no plan, by pointing them in Suna's direction, I could take down Gaara's government from within, using the fear, and paranoia they were sure to feel after being attacked several times. I poisoned Shikamaru when he returned to Suna, to keep him asleep. I did this after Temari woke up, something I hadn't anticipated. My aim was to completely eradicate both Gaara and all of his supporters. I made sure to appear to one of Gaara's most loyal subordinates to make myself less of a suspect despite my motive. It didn't matter. No one suspected me, no one checked my file to see the Kazekage had murdered three of my family members. I went after you to destabilise the alliance between Konoha and Suna. I hired that organisation to produce a very special drug that no shinobi would know how to counter. I needed a way to slowly kill off Gaara and his supporters without drawing suspicion upon myself. As a council member, I had the means to create a false mission to lure Shikamaru and Temari away to find out the Kazekage's weaknesses, test the drug and then get rid of the two of them. It would have appeared to be a tragic case of shinobi falling in battle, not assassination. I created the mission about the landslide and even handed it to you myself, to lure you into an ambush. I poisoned the Kazekage's food and attempted to frame you for his attempted murder. When a woman appeared before me with the evidence to acquit you, I tried to kill her."

Sakura could only stammer, choking out, "Why… why tell me all this?"

"Suna has a very modern way of filtering air to cool down buildings," Kurosawa said, rather randomly, "Vents, you see. They make it very easy to filter poison into a room in gas form."

Sakura's eyes bulged out. She grabbed her throat.

"Ah. I thought it was past time for the poison to have begun affecting you. I myself am immune to this particular concoction. _You_ have been a very irritating thorn in my side from the moment you showed up, Sakura, but you provided me with Gaara's weakness rather more eloquently than either Shikamaru or Temari could manage. How do you think Gaara would react to your death? Badly enough to prove me right, that he is a dangerous, unhinged monster?"

Sakura's vision began to grey over. She sank to her knees.

"Don't hurt Gaara," She pleaded with her last breath, coughing out a final, "please…"

"Did he show my four year old daughter mercy? Did he spare my grieving husband? Did he leave my sister be?"

Kurosawa bent down to face her.

"No. So I will return the favour. He will watch every one of his loved ones die before him, helpless in the knowledge that some unknown, frightening monster is cutting them down from the shadows and that there is nothing, _nothing_ he can do to save them. Perhaps my next target will be that little boy, Akira? He's about the same age as my Tamiko. Fitting, really."

The door burst open.

Sakura managed to turn her head.

Akako, Kisho and Masa stood in the doorway, each one little and fierce.

"Sensei!" Kisho shouted, rushing forward.

Kurosawa stumbled backwards, hands up defensively, but she was no shinobi and one kick to the head from Masa was enough to floor her.

Akako grabbed Sakura's arms and began to tug her out.

"Bitch." Masa said angrily, kicking Kurosawa in the side before following the other two out of the room, taking Sakura's legs.

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Sakura wasn't breathing right and her eyes kept flickering open and shut.

Kisho hovered over her, his hands glowing weakly, but Sakura had never taught him anything about poisons or antidotes and the way Masa kept breathing down his neck to check his progress was really affecting his concentration.

They had dragged her into an alley, hoping to hide out until they could come up with a plan.

"So this is some kind of conspiracy, right?" Masa said in a low voice, gazing at his teammates seriously, "You heard that bitch. She's against the Kazekage and Sakura-sensei. And she's a councilwoman. That means we can't trust _anyone_ to help Sakura-sensei."

"We can trust the Kazekage," Akako ventured shyly, "He's nice. He helped me."

"So, the Compound," Masa said decisively, "After Kisho's healed her up a bit, that's where we'll take her."

Suddenly, Sakura began to shake violently, limbs jerking up and down. She screamed shrilly, thrashing under Kisho's grip. One hand glowed and suddenly Kisho shot backwards into the wall.

Masa cursed under his breath, moving to help Kisho, trying to duck Sakura's flailing limbs.

Akako drew a sharp breath from the other end of the alley. Masa looked up to see two men enter the small space, towering over Akako.

"Akako!" Masa yelled, dodging a deadly blow from Sakura's fist, "Just… Just run! I can't get to you!"

Akako turned around, her face frightened, pale, but set in determination.

She slid into the defensive pose Sakura had taught her, backing up a few paces to accommodate the height difference between her and the men.

They advanced slowly.

Masa received a glancing blow to his shoulder and bit back a scream at the popping sound. He'd felt worse. This was nothing. He had to help Akako.

Kisho groaned, stirring from the floor.

One of the men reached for Akako's neck. She slapped his hand aside and jabbed her fingers into his eyes while he was distracted. He howled. The other snarled at her, meaty hands outstretched –

Akako raised her hands automatically in her kekkei genkai's style. Masa winced, waiting for the man to explode in a mess of gore and blood.

But Akako lowered her hands, seeming to decide something, and slammed the side of her foot into the man's solar plexus. He choked, unable to breathe. She threw her fist into the other man's throat and then neatly swept the first man's leg out from under him, making him stumble. She took advantage of his loss of balance and elbowed the back of his head. He dropped like a stone.

Finally, she slapped both hands over the other man's ears and smashed his head into the wall as he swayed dizzily.

Masa stared, barely managing to avoid Sakura's foot striking his face.

Akako turned and beamed at him.

Well. So Sakura _was _a good teacher after all.

After Kisho stopped bitching about his leg ("I just recovered and now she's throwing me into walls!") they walked off in the vague direction of the Kazekage Compound, trying not to look suspicious.

Genjutsu was horrible. It slipped away from you the moment your concentration broke, even the tiniest bit, and you needed to have immense patience to learn it. Masa sucked at it.

But he remembered the concealment jutsu Sakura had forced him to read over and he managed to cast it over Sakura's unconscious form, allowing him to carry her on his back, legs trailing behind him, invisible to the naked eye.

They entered the building easily enough, though Akako was trembling all over, clearly terrified of being ambushed again.

After a tense moment in which they fought over which way the Kazekage's office was, Akako finally won and dragged them up some stairs, Masa going carefully, mindful of Sakura's legs.

They didn't pass many people, but those they did pass gave them curious looks. Masa wondered if it was the restrained agony in his expression, his probably-dislocated shoulder pulled taut and useless as he hauled Sakura along, every step torturous.

"Hey!" Someone shouted from behind.

It was the woman who had poisoned Sakura, looking enraged –

Akako gave a cry of fear as men and women poured out from the corridor behind them, charging towards them.

Kisho brushed his hand over Masa's shoulder, pushing it back into place with a light application of chakra. Masa grunted a pained thank you, then turned to face the mass of oncoming enemies, Akako at his side.

Masa ripped through three of them with his wires, but Akako, glancing at Sakura's downed, now visible form, nodded at her. He took the hint, stepping back to cover Kisho as he worked to heal their sensei.

Akako intercepted a woman racing towards them, kneeing her squarely in the face, breaking her nose.

Sakura's eyes shot open and she spluttered blood. Masa felt his stomach swoop in nausea and fear and he cried out, "Kisho, do something!"

"I – I can't!" Kisho's hands were trembling, chakra flickering in and out of life, "I can't!"

"You have to! She's dying!" Masa was cut off by an attack and cursed, throwing himself into the fray.

"Kill that boy!" The councilwoman cried, pointing at Kisho, "Kill the medic!"

Kisho gave a sob of fear but didn't move, hands fixed over Sakura's stomach, glowing resolutely.

Akako and Masa fought furiously. He had never seen them so ferocious or determined. It gave him the final push he needed to do what Sakura had always described to him – make himself completely vulnerable by sinking into Sakura's system, leaving him blind to everything but Sakura's insides.

Poison clung to the surface in oily pools. Kisho did his best to clean it up, focusing on the most vital areas to give Sakura a fighting chance. He withdrew from her system like breaking the surface of water, taking a deep breath, poison in his hands.

Something whistled past his ear. A kunai. He looked up sharply to see the councilwoman bearing down on him, armed with a needle. He curved his body over Sakura's, hugging himself to her like a frightened little boy seeking comfort, trying to protect every exposed inch of her.

"NO!"

Sand erupted between him and the crazed woman.

Kisho looked up wildly.

The Kazekage stood before him, fury etched in every line of his body, the stiff arms, the clenched fists, the furrowed brow and snarling mouth.

Never had he heard the Kazekage sound like that before – bestial in rage. Now he radiated power from his very core, everything about him screaming his defiance at the threat.

Masa was swept away by a surge of sand, just in time to save him from losing a limb. His opponent fell under the weight of the sand. Akako leapt clear of the sand, her face lighting up at the sight of the Kazekage.

The councilwoman pushed herself to her feet, staring in horror at the Kazekage.

Her face was drained of colour, she looked as though she was facing her worst nightmare.

Kisho felt something brush against his leg. He looked down. Sakura's hand clasped his knee, her soothing chakra filling the air as she healed the bruise.

He stared at her in wonder, his hands stained red with the poison and blood. She was alive?

The Kazekage hadn't noticed. He raised his hand, face contorted in malice. The sand immediately surged over the woman's body even as she screamed in fear, trying to beat it away.

Gaara's hand began to close into a fist –

Sakura stood up.

"Gaara," She said, her voice tired yet full of compassion and trust. She gazed at him with a small, weary smile on her face, "Stop."

The councilwoman stared at her, tears flowing uncontrollably.

The Kazekage froze, his mouth trembling, eyes flashing over to Sakura immediately. He paused, jaw clenched.

Kisho stared in utter, complete disbelief as the Kazekage began to cry.

"I thought you were dead," He said, sounding so relieved yet heartbroken that tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as well, as if in answer, "I saw you lying there and…"

Sakura tripped over the sand in her eagerness to get to him and threw herself in his arms.

Kisho resisted the urge to wolf-whistle as they kissed each other fervently, arms curling around each other, fingers digging into flesh in sheer relief that the other was alive and well. Sand spilled from the Kazekage's fingers and Sakura's hair curled around his face like blossoms.

They clung to each other.

* * *

><p>Argh. It's been ages.<p>

SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! :S

Finally finished this bloody chapter, thank God. Was a bitch to write.

Hope you liked it!

**Quick poll for fun:** Why do you like GaaSaku? If you don't particularly like it, tell me about a pairing you really love :)

No suggestions.


	14. Settled Blossoms

Shikamaru's mouth was bone-dry. It felt the way it always did when he fell asleep with his mouth wide open, usually in a field somewhere, letting all the bugs and dust in. Nothing like waking up from a pleasant dream spitting flies. He could smell the breeze, smelt sharp sand and felt the heat on his cheeks. He was in a patch of sunlight. He stretched, basking in the warmth. He could normally smell nothing but grass and flowers when he woke up from a nap like this. Ino was probably identifying all of the flowers in that smug, knowing way of hers. Weeds were weeds, in Shikamaru's opinion. Chouji was snacking away, no doubt. Asuma couldn't be anywhere near though, he couldn't smell any smoke.

He couldn't feel any grass beneath his fingers either.

He tried to focus his thoughts.

Ino wasn't here, he remembered. He wasn't with her or Chouji and Asuma –

Shikamaru's eyes flew open.

He was in a hospital room in Suna, and Asuma had been dead for years.

He clutched his head, his aching muscles pulling taught as he sat up in the bed, the thin gown slipping down his shoulder.

The door opened hesitantly. Temari walked into the room, her pace slow and pained. She looked at Shikamaru, her eyes becoming round circles in her pale, thin face. Her hand slipped from the doorframe and tears glittered in her eyes.

She didn't look like his wife. His wife was strong and confident, with a thick layer of muscle and a spring in her step. But she was Temari and his heart was leaping at the sight of her nevertheless, and just like that he knew he'd love her no matter what.

He leapt out of bed just as she sprang at him, and they met in the middle, Temari raining furious, relieved kisses all over his face, him clinging to her like a drowning man in the sea reaching for the shore.

Cicadas sang triumphantly outside the open window, heat pulsing through the air as Temari gently rested her forehead to his, their skin clammy and cold, warming up together.

"You took your time waking up, you lazy bastard." Temari murmured, grinning through her tears.

Shikamaru pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, "You didn't marry me for my timekeeping skills."

"Times like this I forget why I married you at all, making me worry so much."

"You worried about me, huh?"

"Just a little! Child-rearing's expensive when you're on your own."

His arms curled around her waist. Her chin touched his shoulder, their bodies a perfect fit for each other.

"How are the kids?" He asked, still a little groggy from his long sleep. He wondered how much time had passed. Enough for the hole in his stomach to have disappeared – Sakura's work, no doubt – and for Temari's face to grow so worn and tired.

"Akira's been worried about you too. Shika, the little traitor, is in love with the babysitter."

"Oh, Kanae," Shikamaru remembered, "I see. I'm glad we hired her now, considering."

They fell silent after that, still embracing, content and whole after what felt like lifetimes of aching for each other.

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Sakura couldn't wake.

She knew she was asleep.

She was in a fog, tendrils of mist curling through her fingers, moisture dampening her skin. She cried wretchedly over Sasuke's corpse, cold to the touch and real, not an illusion.

Pink strands of hair floated gently, the edge of her knife sharp and biting. She held onto Sasuke until the tattoos of Orochimaru's chakra bled away from his skin, leaving it clean and healthy once more.

She was fighting Ino – something was wrong with Sasuke, his neck, his neck – she woke to taste bitter disappointment at her draw and tried her best to fulfil her duties as the cheerleader of the group as Naruto fought.

Sasuke wasn't there, he was late and Naruto was hurt, the fingertips of Hyuuga Neji seemed deadly and quick. And Gaara flew towards Sasuke and she wanted to be brave, be like Naruto and save the day, and she jumped and was swatted away like an irritant, not a threat, not a threat.

Sakura moaned in her sleep, _why couldn't she wake?_

She watched a chuunin fall on his knees, holding his throat as blood sluggishly pumped out. She woke up in a cell, the scent of urine on the air, screams breaking the silence.

She remembered every scratch, every cut, every bruise, every break of her torture in intimate detail, the faceless man no longer faceless, but a ruddy-faced man with hollow cheeks and hooded eyes. She curled up on the floor as explosions rocked the building.

She cut open her hand with fine precision, applying sutures to every nerve and wiping away the excess blood. She flexed her healed hand and crowed in triumph.

She watched Hiroshi bleed out, saw Kaede's eyes dull in death and felt a sword rip through her stomach for the second time in her life. She looked up and saw Gaara crowned by sunlight, hundreds of shinobi behind him.

She saw a makeshift bandage placed over Sasuke's missing eye, blood staining the white cotton. She healed his hurts and left him behind.

She returned to her new desert home and broke the heart of the Kazekage with her indecisiveness. She stood before a mirror and left her scars to serve as a reminder that she would no longer be weak.

Something broke the surface of the water in her mind, a voice growing less and less muffled until finally it emerged clear and jarring –

"Sakura! Wake up, Sakura!"

Tsunade's beautiful face was hovering over her own, her brow pinched with worry. When Sakura blinked, clearing her vision of the film that sleep had given her, the worry faded away and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"You had me so worried! You just wouldn't wake up, no matter what we did! I thought you were comatose."

Shikamaru and Temari stood at the foot of her bed, arms wrapped around each other. Shikamaru nodded at her in greeting, a lazy smile playing about his lips. "Hey. Been a while."

"Shikamaru? You're awake, you're OK?" Sakura sat up abruptly, a sharp pain stabbing through her stomach. She remembered the ghosts of Kaede and Sasori's swords piercing through her and shivered.

He shrugged in answer, kissing his wife's hair absently. Temari gave a little smile.

"Kurosawa Kazuki, the councilwoman behind all this mess, is being held, awaiting her trial. She won't say a word to anyone at the moment, apparently, she's keeping quiet. It's been a week. Your students saved your life, one of them kept you alive even with poison still in your system – what's his name again?" She fired over her shoulder, directing her question at Temari.

"Kisho," Temari replied, "The little brat's been hanging out with Kankuro lately."

"Kisho, then. He's a damn good healer for his age. You taught him well. Do you remember how you got here?"

"Gaara was going to kill Kurosawa," Sakura blurted out, her forehead creasing at the memory of Gaara's wild eyes, "I stopped him and –" She blushed, remembering what happened next, "Well, he was happy I was alive. And then Kisho said something and… I woke up just now. I think that's everything, my head hurts."

"They took you here and I healed you, and your students – they weren't badly injured, just a little shaken – we've had a pretty tough week, trying to round up everyone involved in this mess and frankly the Kazekage didn't help, pacing everywhere and snapping at everyone who looked his way. Now you're awake he'll be a little friendlier, I'm sure."

Sakura imagined Gaara pacing, his face drawn tight with worry, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Where is he?" She asked, her voice coming out rock-steady despite the multitude of emotions swarming her.

Tsunade's perfectly manicured nails tapped on the metal bedframe. Her expression was inscrutable.

"His office, or so I'd assume." She replied. She was staring at Sakura in a discomfiting, shrewd kind of way, as though she was reading every tell and every tic in her expression and not liking what she saw.

Temari on the other hand, looked downright smug. She offered Sakura and wink and a thumbs up, murmuring, "Go get 'im, tiger," as she passed on shaky legs.

Sakura paused in the doorway, looking back in at the room's occupants. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and Tsunade tilted her head in question, but it was Temari Sakura was looking at.

"Temari," She began, her voice resolute, "You once asked me if I knew what being in love felt like. The answer is yes."

Temari beamed delightedly as Sakura turned back around, determined to find Gaara and finally settle the issue that had been floating around for years.

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Pakkun accepted a drink from Kakashi's water flask, trying to control his panting. This damn village was scorching hot, there wasn't a lick of wind for miles and all of the sand made his fur crawl. He'd be thrilled to leave.

Gaara stared at them from behind his desk, his gaze steady and enigmatic. "Is there a reason for your resignations?" He asked, an undercurrent of triumph coating his tone. Sasuke heard it and shifted, scowling.

"I have always had a bad habit of being stuck in the past," Kakashi stood up, putting the flask back into his belt. Pakkun sat at his feet, his spine straight as a soldier's in the presence of the intimidatingly powerful Kazekage, "I mistakenly believed that Sakura's feelings regarding Sasuke had not changed, despite the length of time they have been separated," Sasuke's scowl darkened, a flush of humiliation on his cheeks, "Sasuke had no desire to pursue Sakura, nor as I believed, the talent to do so! So, I made it my personal mission to assist their romance in any way I could. However, I did not anticipate that during her routine mission in Suna she would _make the Kazekage fall in love with her._ I am in no way confident enough in my (or Sasuke's) skills to risk going up against a Kage in matters of love, so we have decided to forfeit."

For a long moment Gaara merely continued to stare at the two of them.

"Excellent," He said crisply, "I did not doubt you would eventually give in."

Sasuke looked as though he would very much like to rip Gaara's throat out with his teeth.

"As Sakura's former sensei, I would like to give the two of you my blessing," Kakashi said, his eye curved up in a smile, "I wish you every bit of happiness the world has to offer, and would also like to add that if you hurt her, the collective weight of Konohagakure will rain down upon your head."

Sasuke punctuated Kakashi's amicable threat with a very fervent nod.

"I never like to get into fights I can lose," Sasuke said, "So I never had an interest in Kakashi's stupid machinations anyway. But I do know that if something happens, I won't be in the fight alone, so make sure you make her very, very happy."

Gaara shrugged one shoulder blithely, looking undaunted by their threats, "I intend to dedicate the rest of my life ensuring Sakura is completely happy, so that will not be an issue."

Someone knocked on the door.

"One minute." Gaara called, his uninterested gaze flicking from Kakashi to Sasuke, "I accept your resignations and give you permission to leave as soon as you wish. Please do not feel obligated to linger."

Kakashi bowed, tugging Sasuke down with a hand to the back of his neck.

"And please allow me to echo your earlier sentiments, Hatake," Gaara said, a ghost of smile about his lips, "I hope the two of you will be very happy together."

Sasuke _growled_ at him. Kakashi took a hold of his collar and opened the door, the little pug trotting after them obediently.

Sakura appeared in the doorway, looking breathless and hastily-dressed.

"Sasuke! Kakashi-sensei!" She gasped out, "Good to see you, got to chat with Gaara!"

She slipped in and shut the door behind her, not noticing Kakashi's amusement or Sasuke's eye-roll.

Gaara stood up, looking majestic and untouchable in his Kage robes, his expression carefully controlled.

Sakura leant against the door, trying to catch her breath, "Gaara. I don't care what happens, if Tsunade doesn't like it or The Council stages a rebellion or something, I want to be with you. I want to live here and be a permanent sensei to my kids and I want to continue teaching the other nurses and I want to spend my nights helping you go through paperwork and making sure you get enough sleep. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life by your side."

Gaara closed his eyes, the jade irises melting into black lids, lifting his heavy sleeves to touch either sides of his temple. He smiled to himself, an exhilarated, genuine smile, and opened his eyes.

"Then, Haruno Sakura," He said formally, his eyes warm and tender, "would you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?"

Sakura laughed, overjoyed, "How could I say no?"

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The cell wasn't the best Suna had to offer, but it wasn't a bare room with a straw bed either, so Kurosawa ought to consider herself lucky. Especially considering how numerous and severe her crimes were.

"I heard you were not talking." Gaara said, his voice crisp and precise. Dust stirred in the air as he moved towards the bed Kurosawa was sitting on.

She gave him a defeated, weary look, "Just finish it," She said, "I won't be amusing to you if you decide you want to play cat and mouse."

"Finish it?" Gaara repeated, a crease between his brows.

"Kill me," Kurosawa said, a cross between an explanation and a plea, "I know that's why you've come. I nearly killed your favourite Konoha nin."

"Don't be ridiculous," Gaara replied brusquely, "If I was going to kill you I would have ignored Sakura and done it anyway back then. I'm here because Sakura told me some things about you."

Kurosawa's jaw clenched.

"There is nothing," Gaara said softly, crouching down to catch her eye, "that I can say that will bring your loved ones back. Nothing that will heal your pain. I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for what I have done to you, because I know my apology is not enough. I killed your daughter, your husband and your sister. There is no excuse for what I did to you. I only have explanations, and I imagine you wish to hear them, especially after so long."

Kurosawa's eyes filled with tears.

"When I was a boy, I had no friends. Children screamed if I came near them. My father was distant and my mother was dead. The only person who spoke to me was my uncle. I wanted to have friends, so I reached out to other children. They slammed doors on me and ran away. Others spat at me or threw punches that could not connect. Sometimes I tried to stop them running, just wanting the chance to explain that I was not evil, that they need not be afraid, but the sand frightened them even more. Finally I had enough of wanting to have friends. I lashed out when taunted, I chased when others ran from me. My uncle tried to stop me but I was wild. One night, an assassin tried to kill me. I stopped him, severely injuring him in the process. I realised it was my own uncle. He admitted that my father had sent him. I asked if he had been forced to do it, hoping he didn't want to kill me at all. My uncle revealed how he'd despised me since my birth had killed his sister. He then tried to kill me once more with a suicide attack. I did not die, but I had lost the one person who I believed cared about me. I became a monster."

"Someone brought me back to life when I was twelve. They taught me about bonds, friendship, family. Things to live for other than killing. It changed my life. I realised what I had become and I resolved to change. I grew to care for this village and its people. I tried to become a better man. Through the endless support of others, I believe I have succeeded," He drew closer to Kurosawa's tearstained face, noting the lack of fear in her eyes, "Your family did not get the burial they deserved. I am going to have a monument built to honour every innocent life lost in this village, and your family's names will be the first to be carved, I swear to you. They will not be forgotten. I will never forgive myself for my past and I do not ask forgiveness from you. But I hope in some small way, I can ease your pain for the future."

Kurosawa broke down, one hand covering her mouth to try to smother the sounds of her sobs, her brow creased in anguish.

Gaara stayed with her until she calmed down, then excused himself, feeling glad that he had helped her achieve some kind of release and closure.

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Despite claiming she disliked the weather, Tsunade had agreed to stay in a Suna for a few more days with no complaints. She and Gaara and the remains of The Council needed time to muddle through the crisis Kurosawa had unleashed, to round up all of her informants, workers and all those loyal to her cause.

Tsunade brushed an elegant, white hand across her damp forehead, breath hissing through her teeth angrily, "This place is _vile_," She said emphatically to Sakura, "how can you stand this heat?"

Sakura gave an easy shrug, very much aware of her lightly tanned skin and noticeable lack of perspiration. She enjoyed the harsh sunlight now, celebrated it even. "You don't feel it after a while." She admitted cheerfully.

Her former master's eyes narrowed, lips pursing, "Hmm… You really like it here, don't you?"

Sakura felt her eyes crinkle upwards, her mouth stretching into an unrestrained smile, "Yes, Tsunade-sama. I really do."

Tsunade stared at her for a while longer, tapping her foot impatiently. She turned back to the papers on the desk, scribbling her signature where required.

"Well?" She asked finally, still not looking at her.

"What?" Sakura blinked, confused.

"Go ahead and ask," Tsunade said patiently, frowning as ink splattered over a page, "I know you too well, Sakura."

"Oh!" She straightened up, suddenly nervous, "Tsunade-sama… I… I, um… Gaara. Gaara proposed to me."

"I know," Tsunade said magnanimously, "continue."

"How do you – well, um. I said yes. And, if I was going to marry him. I would have to live here. Permanently. And I need to be a resident of Suna first. And to do that, I need, um, your –"

"My permission," Tsunade said, turning a page, "You know, Sakura. As much as I've missed you over the past few years, I've seen how good this whole mission has been for you. You've grown from a girl into a woman, and though I missed that transition as it happened, I will still honour your wishes and rights as that of an adult. An adult who has the right to make her own decisions, without myself, or Kakashi, or Naruto or Sasuke chasing after her and trying to change her mind. So although legally, I now declare you discharged from my service and free to join any other Hidden Village you see fit, personally, I hereby give you my blessing, as a friend who cares deeply for you. I hope the two of you will be very happy together."

She finished signing her papers and handed them over.

Slightly confused and with rapidly dampening eyes, Sakura took the papers and read them quickly, feeling touched by Tsunade's words.

It was a document permitting Sakura's discharge from her inactive chuunin status in Konoha, allowing her to leave the village and live elsewhere.

"You knew before I even asked?" Sakura said disbelievingly.

Tsunade looked haughty, "Like I said, I know you too well."

xxxxxxxx

Kanae and Kankuro stood side by side, their shoulders touching as they peered down at Shika in her cot. Kanae made a comforting noise in the back of her throat and Shika gurgled in reply.

"Kanae?" Sakura called softly, one hand on the doorway. Her voice was a little hesitant, uncertain that this was a scene she wanted to interrupt.

The two of them turned in unison, Kankuro giving Sakura a wry smile, his face bare of paint, his hair uncovered. He looked young and boyish.

"Yo, imouto-chan." He grinned playfully, "Need something?"

"_You_ need to stop calling me that," Sakura said flatly, her lips twitching in amusement, "I'm not even your sister-in-law yet. I just wondered if I could have a quick word with Kanae?"

Kankuro gave Kanae a quick, searching glance. She smiled reassuringly back at him, giving him a nod.

"That's fine." Kanae said.

"I'll go be somewhere else." Kankuro said good-naturedly, leaving the room with what looked suspiciously like a spring in his step.

Kanae stays standing by the cot, her smile a nervous quiver of the lips, her hands playing with Shika's blanket.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, "I mean, after everything that happened?"

Kanae's smile trembled. "I won't lie, Sakura, I had a few nightmares and I've been a little jumpy lately, but… Kankuro has helped a lot."

"I'm glad."

"I… I'd like to be honest with you, Sakura, because you are one of my only friends here. I was working in Konoha before I came here, but when Shikamaru-san asked me to look after his children, I only accepted because of my father. I come from a village that looks up to Suna and the Kazekage, you understand. My father wanted me to come here so I could try to become close to the Kazekage, perhaps even one day become his wife. He was just hoping there would be some slim chance I could marry a rich man. I didn't want to… I'm not good at lying, or deception in general. The most effort I ever put in was to make the Kazekage some tonics, and even that made me feel ashamed of myself. I don't have feelings for him. I never have, even though at the beginning I hoped… Well, I know you are getting married. I'm really happy for you, I truly am! And now that my father will have to see there is no chance of me marrying the Kazekage, I can stop worrying about it." Kanae's face broke out into a big smile.

"Honestly?" Sakura said, incredulous, "That was the big conspiracy? Do you know how many times I thought you were an assassin or something? I just – oh, come here you big idiot," She tugged the other girl into a tight hug, "Your father cannot rule your life. Marry whoever the hell you want and don't worry about what he thinks. Are you still going to live in Suna?"

Kanae smiled against Sakura's shoulder, "Even when Shika and Akira are all grown up, I plan on staying."

Sakura drew back, clasping the older woman's forearms, "Would a certain puppeteer have anything to do with that choice?" She asked slyly.

Kanae blushed so hard her face was tinted _purple_ for one brief, worrying moment.

xxxxxxxx

Team Sakura stood under a desert willow, the tree's branches dripping with orchid-like flowers. Masa stood at the head of the group, straightening his new glasses. Kisho sat sprawled on the ground. Akako was perched gingerly on one of the stone benches.

They all straightened up as Sakura approached, wearing a beaming smile. She was wearing an unfamiliar form of robe, made from an expensive material. Masa gave her a wary look.

"Hi, all of you," Sakura greeted them, hands on her hips, "It's great to see you all in one piece. I'm so proud of you all for saving me; I can't even put it into words!" The three of them pleased with themselves, "But… I asked you to come here because I have some important news. I'm getting married."

Akako squealed. Masa smirked knowingly. Kisho had the nerve to _wink at her._

"To the Kazekage, right?" Kisho said, favouring her with a grin.

"Obvious." Masa agreed.

"That's fantastic news!" Akako said brightly.

"_Yes_, to the Kazekage," Sakura laughed, pouting slightly at not being able to spring it on them as a surprise, "but I also have a proposition for you all," She took a deep breath, looking somewhat flustered, "I know that both of you live alone, and that your home life, Kisho, is not perfect. Gaara is the one that suggested this, since he wants a big family and all, um, I mean, you wouldn't have to think of us as your parents or anything, I-I'd still be your sensei, but I was wondering if you would like to live with us?"

Akako's eyes were round with astonishment.

Kisho winced, looking away, but Masa gave Sakura an intent look, his eyes searching, "Don't say that," He replied, "unless you _really_ mean it."

Akako's mouth opened and closed a few times. "Permanently?" She asked finally, her voice slightly faint.

Sakura nodded firmly, "Permanently. And I really mean it."

"I have to take care of my mother." Kisho said gently, "But the offer means a lot to me."

"I thought as much," Sakura said, smiling at him, "But Gaara's already knee-deep in plans to help carers like you with ex-shinobi relatives, so hopefully you won't have to worry so much about your finances. You're going to be a fine medic one day, Kisho."

Kisho rubbed the back of his head self-consciously.

Masa's smile was much brighter than his usual sardonic smirk. Something warm flooded Sakura's stomach at the sight of it, and she gave him a fond look.

"I want to," He said awkwardly, covering his smile with his hand, "I'll come."

Akako flung herself at Sakura, her thin arms hugging her waist, whispering something. Sakura strained to hear it – _thank you thank you thank you._

xxxxxxxx

The man handed her a scrap of cloth, a metal plate attached to the middle. Suna's symbol was etched upon it.

"Sakura-no-Chiyu," The man said brightly, "Welcome to Suna!"

* * *

><p><strong>DON'T PANIC<strong>

**THERE'S AN EPILOGUE, THIS ISN'T THE END**

:D

This was a super fun chapter to write :)

Hope you guys liked it!

I know I've been repeating this everywhere, but just in case someone missed the message, **if you want to write me letters, please PM me so I can send you the address :)**

Masa and Akako get to be brother and sister! Gaara gets unruly children! Oh the general hilarity... Don't worry, Gaara and Sakura will have children of their own as well as their adopted kids.

I'm so looking forward to writing the epilogue!

**Quick poll for fun: **Which is your favourite episode of Naruto? (you don't have to know the name, you can just say the one with the _)

No suggestions.


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